Dragonball Z Alternate Path: The World Tournament Saga
by DbzpreteenGohanfan87
Summary: Part 3 of the series. Nearly a year has past since The Cell Games. And as part of a week long celebration, the world is holding the first World Martial Arts Tournament since the 23rd Tournament. The Z-Fighters have trained nearly a year for this. Them and all their friends are participating. But a new "contender" with a grudge against Gohan is promising to make things interesting.
1. Gather for the Tournament

**Chapter: 1**

_**:Gather for the Tournament**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

It had been three months since the incident at Bulma's lab, nine months since the end of their over two months long journey through space and nearly a full year less a week since The Cell Games and now it was finally time for the start of a new World Martial Arts Tournament. The tournament had been resurrected and organised by the media machine that backed Mr. Satan as a way to not only clamour to the public's increasing demand's for a martial arts tournament but to display their greatest moneymaker his dominance to the public. Mr. Satan himself had never won the famous World Martial Arts Tournament but he had been crowned the World Champion by winning a majority of the smaller local tournaments and culminating all of those wins as the representative World Champion. This tournament was designed just to give him the official title of the tournament and to feed his massive ego. The tournament ring was rebuilt bigger and better than the original in under a year just so that they could celebrate Mr. Satan's "victory" at The Cell Games at the same time. But nobody who'd organised this event could've predicted the return of the the true heroes of The Cell Games and the real greatest fighters in the world.

A lonely familiar little yellow transport plane was making its way across the skies above the ocean. Inside was the entire Son family clan along with a few family friends who were making their way to Papaya Island where the tournament was being held. In the cockpit at the controls was Yamcha along with Krillin right next to him, in the next row was the main Son family composed of Chi-Chi who sat at the far left of the seat along with little baby Goten who she was holding, Goku himself who was seated in the middle and right next to him on the far right was Gohan their eldest son who was wearing his old Piccolo style outfit with a white puffy neck for today. And in the back of the plane sat the massive figure of The Ox King because it was the only part of the plane which would fit him along with Master Roshi with whom he would talk about old times.

Gohan was busy staring out the window and just reflecting on things. He'd gone through so much during this last year, beating Cell, defeating Broly, brought back his father from having died a second time, making a very close friendship with a girl named Videl, gaining a new baby brother and then travelling through time and space meeting older versions of himself Videl and even his younger brother Goten! Yes, this last year had been something special alright and tomorrow was going to be his birthday! He would officially be 12 years old tomorrow since the month and a half he spent through Bulma's time and space portal in addition to the 10 1/2 months he'd spent training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with his father rounded up to a total of a full year extra than what he should be in this world. Gohan found it rather curious that the tournament was being held at the beginning of the week of the anniversary instead of on the day itself but he figured that Videl probably had something to do with it. She probably found out what his birthday was and made sure that the tournament would be held today as something of a tribute to him. Gohan didn't really care about it but he thought it was nice gesture of her if totally unnecessary. Anyway, this tournament promises to be an interesting one to say the least. Gohan had been training himself in secret for 9 months just for this day.

"Hey!? Did you hear me Gohan?" asked Goku with a raised voice that snapped Gohan out of his revery. "Oh! Yeah, I'm sorry dad, I was just thinking a little bit. What did you say again?" asked Gohan, looking up at his father. "I said we're there." said Goku as he pointed forward out the glass to Papaya Island down below which they were fast approaching. They landed on a parking lot close to the new stadium arena and had a clear view of the ocean behind them. They then disembarked from the vehicle, capsulized it and began making their way to the front entrance of the stadium. As they made their way to the front entrance those who had been to the tournaments before noticed how more people and concession stands there were than before. "Huh? It seems that there's a lot more people here than there were back in the old tournaments." commented Yamcha. "Yeah, no kidding. I guess that goof Mr. Satan really has his uses. More people are coming to see this because of his popularity." said Krillin and just as he said that they noticed the crowds of people beginning to scream and run towards the direction to their left. They looked off and saw that a crowd of people had gathered around a large red plane with the word SATAN plastered all over the sides that had just landed. "Well speak of the devil." Krillin said with a smile as they all realised that you-know-who had just arrived. Yes, the one and only Mr. Satan had arrived in all his agonising glory, yelling out like an idiot with his arms raised in the air before a throng of his fanatical worldwide fans and TV reporters as he disembarked from his plane.

"Hey! Guys!" yelled a familiar high pitched little voice coming from somewhere near the gathered crowd. Both Gohan and the rest of his family and friends recognized the voice as that of a small girl that they'd all come to know. Yes, there was Videl coming through from out of the crowd after apparently sneaking out from under both her father's and the crowds' nose and was now running forward towards them and in particular Gohan himself. "Hey Gohan." piped up Videl as she stood before Gohan with a cheerful smile. "H-Hey Videl." said Gohan, taken a little aback by the cheerfulness and forwardness as she'd gone straight for him, it felt almost like it was affectionate for him. But nonetheless he was overjoyed to see her again and his features subtly morphed into an almost identically cheerful smile to her's. "Hey Videl, it's great to see you, but aren't you supposed to be with your father right now?" asked a confused Goku. "What!? No way! Are you kidding? It was so embarrassing being with my dad back there. He has no idea how foolish he looks when he acts in front a crowd. I'd much rather hang out with you guys." said Videl as she looked up at Goku and then finishing by looking back down straight at Gohan as if to say that she really just wanted to hang out with him. Gohan nodded once to acknowledge what she said but missing the subtle hint she gave him when she looked at him. But then he looked surprised as he noticed something different about her. "Hey? You've grown taller than the last time I saw you." said Gohan in amazement as he realised that Videl was now almost exactly as tall as him and he then put his hand above his head to measure his height compared to her. "Huh? Why yes I think your right. I am as tall as you." said Videl as she did the same thing and checked her own height in comparison. It was true that Videl was undergoing a growth spurt as of late and was just as tall as Gohan himself now since Gohan's growth had now stopped for a brief time just like his father's had at nearly the same age.

From then on the gang moved back forward towards the front entrance with Videl now joining their group by walking next to Gohan and leaving Mr. Satan behind to his own devices. "Hey Videl, is your mother coming to the tournament or is she staying home?" asked Goku, eager to see Fasha or as she prefers he calls her Seripa due to the friendship they'd formed over the last nine months due to her connection to his father Bardock. "No, mom is here. She wouldn't miss this for the world. She just went on ahead of us and came alone to get some good seats. She's going to be watching from the audience. That and plus she doesn't really like being with my dad all that much." Videl explained as they walked along the grounds.

Then the gang finally walked past the front entrance and immediately many of those who'd been at the tournaments before were struck by how much bigger the stadium was now. "Gee, the stadium sure is bigger now than it used to be." exclaimed Goku in amazement as he saw the towering new seats which he was only voicing what many of the others were thinking. "Yeah, looks like they really rebuilt it after you and Piccolo blew it up in your match last time." commented Krillin, making it as a little fun at Goku. "Oops! Sorry..." Goku said sheepishly with a small blush of embarrassment on his face at being reminded of how they'd destroyed the entire surrounding area including the ring in that match. "Don't worry about it Goku sensei, it wasn't your fault. Besides, all the people living in the city had been already evacuated by then so luckily no one was hurt. The project to rebuild the arena has been going on for years as they rebuilt the city but they fell on delay after delay and it was eventually abandoned. It wasn't until this last year that renewed interest due to both my father's popularity and The Cell Games allowed for the project to be finished. So I guess you could say that thanks to you we now have a newer bigger stadium than before. Besides, if it wasn't for you guys there wouldn't even be an Earth left for the city and stadium to be rebuilt on at all." Videl explained, having overheard Goku's and Krillin's little conversation and wanting to cheer him up. Goku did cheer up after hearing that and gave Videl a small smile along with a nod of acknowledgement as they then resumed their walk.

The gang continued on to walk towards the front registration desk when they spotted that nearby the registry stood Vegeta in his usual Saiyan armor and along with Bulma who was holding baby Trunks. They also spotted that nearby, leaning on a palm tree was Piccolo. "Well it's about time you showed up Kakarot. I, the woman and the Namek have been waiting here for you for quite some time." greeted an agitated looking Vegeta. "Oh? So you were waiting on me huh Vegeta?" chided Goku with his "excited rival" look as they came up. "Of course, this whole little weakling tournament wouldn't be worth it if you didn't show up so you could be defeated by me." said Vegeta while shooting his own little competitive grin. "Well if you two aren't too busy playing "rival" then we'd better hurry and get registered before it closes." said Bulma, interrupting their little stare down.

Soon everyboby began walking to the registration desk except for Vegeta who was taking a long glance at Gohan and for Piccolo who was doing the same thing as he then came up next to him. "Hmph, it seems that the brat's power hasn't increased at all. Did he do any training this last year? I barely sensed any difference in his power." commented Vegeta. "It's true that his physical energy feels the same but I sense something else deeper in him. You don't know him like I do so your senses aren't as attuned to him as mine are. I can sense that he's much stronger than before but it goes far beyond mere fighting strength. It takes more than just strength and speed to win a fight and I think that Gohan has been training his technique more than his strength. In that way he's much stronger than before." said Piccolo with a serious analytical look in his eyes. "Well then he waisted his time. The strongest fastest man wins the fight and that's all." arrogantly dismissed Vegeta as he then walked off to join the others in registry.

Luckily the gang arrived just as the last person left. "Hey are we too late to register?" piped up Goku at the front of the pack. "No, you're lucky, you're just in time. We just about to close in a few minutes but I thing that we can squeeze you all in" said one of the two men at the desk. Everybody who was going to fight quickly registered one by one until the last in line (Gohan and Videl) came up to register. "Well, looks like two more for the Junior Division." said the official at the desk. "Huh? Junior Division? That's a new one." commented Krillin. "Junior Division? But I thought I would be fighting in the tournament with adults?" protested Gohan. "I'm sorry, but it's a new feature that we're introducing this year. Everyone from the ages of 5 to 15 are to participate. No exceptions." said the official. "This isn't fair, I'm more powerful than most adults but I still..." continued to protest Gohan until he was cut off by Videl yanking back on his arm. "Don't worry about it Gohan. You might still get to fight in the adult tournament." said Videl in trying to calm him down. "Really?" questioned Gohan. "Yeah, I asked for it as my father's daughter to have one of prizes if you win the junior tournament than you get the chance to fight in the adult tournament." explained Videl. "Oh? So all I have to do is win the junior tournament and I get to fight with my dad and the others?" asked Gohan. "Yup!" answered Videl. "Okay then, sign me up!" said Gohan as he then wrote his name on the registry and moved on to join with the rest of his friends. Videl finished up right after and then she too rejoined with the rest of the gang. When the last of the Z gang registered and then moved off, the registration desk made to close down for the day but just as a familiar throng of reporters and fans surrounding a familiar afro headed figure made its way to the desk.

Meanwhile, the Z gang had just gotten a fair distance away from the registry when all of a sudden they heard a loud boisterous voice screaming from behind them. "**WHAAAAAAAAAATTT!?** WHAT DO YOU MEAN I FAILED TO REGISTER IN TIME? I'M THE MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPION OF THE WORLD!" screamed the ever annoying voice of Mr. Satan. When they heard this, the Z-Fighters laughed or chuckled to themselves. "Well well well, looks like the old goofball's done it again." laughed Krillin. "Oh man! This is so embarrassing! Dad must've been so wrapped up in working the crowd that he didn't register in time." said an embarrassed Videl while slapping herself in the head. "Well it seems that that goof's bad luck has finally come in handy. We won't have to suffer the "World Champion" in the the ring and he saves himself an embarrassing defeat at the tournament." said Krillin as he looked back gleefully with his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I guess so. But I really wanted one of us to beat up my dad and to get what was coming to him so he could learn a lesson for letting all this fame to go to his head." said Videl with slunken arms, but she soon got over it as the gang resumed their walk as if nothing had happened despite the screams of arguing going on in the distance.

The gang then reached the next entranceway to the next part of the stadium and that's when they met up with a very familiar person with purple hair standing in the middle of the doorway in front of the shadows. "Trunks!" exclaimed several people in the group simultaniously. "Hi guys." greeted Future Trunks in his laid back style. "Hey Trunks, you came back! But I thought that you went back to your future world?" said a confused Gohan. "Yeah, well I did, but I just had to come back for this tournament. I did some training for the eight months it took for my time machine to charge up and then came right here." explained Future Trunks. "That's great to hear Trunks. It just wouldn't be the tournament without you. It's great to have you back" said Goku. "Well actually, I didn't come back alone." said Future Trunks as he stepped back and revealed a figure who had been standing behind him in the shadows. The figure walked up to reveal himself as almost the mirror image of Goku except for much shorter hair and a scar going down the right side of his face along with a slightly broader build. "Hey guys... It's great to see you all again." said the man as everyone then instantly recognized who this must be. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my master Gohan." introduced Future Trunks as Future Gohan waved to a stunned audience.

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**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, now's the start of the new World Tournament Saga. The way I seen it, Mr. Satan was originally called the ****World's Champion Of All Combat Sports**** in the original japanese version, which meant that he wasn't yet the true ****World Tournament Champion**** which means he didn't win the tournament until **_**after**_** The Cell Games. Which means that the tournaments where he'd won at the tournament had to have been set up in the intervening years during the 7 year timeskip. This is going to be my version of what was the first of those tournaments hosted by the Mr. Satan backed system in the original anime and manga. Therefore this what would happen if the Z-Fighters, specifically after **_**my**_** version of events, decided to participate in the tournament.**

**I hope you enjoyed that little bit of Mr. Satan foolishly failing to register at the last minute due to the crowds. I thought that would be appropriate for his character and the fact that it leaves him unable to participate in the actual matches and therefore stink up the place. But don't worry, I've still got plans for him and he's still going to be a part of the tournament in some small way. And I also hope that you liked the little twist at the end where I brought in Future Gohan. The party just wouln't be complete without him. And really, would you expect him to have missed out on this if he were still alive like he is in my story? There'll be plenty of twists and turns and LOTS of EPIC action and emotions in this one, because is going to be my MASTERPIECE. Get ready for the third and final part of the story, it's going to be a hell of a ride!**


	2. A Son from a Lost future Returns

**Chapter: 2**

_**:A Son from a Lost future Returns**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

The Z gang stood stunned as the Gohan from Trunk's shattered future world stood before them. Now there were two Gohan's in the same world at once. They had never thought that they would get to meet this other Gohan, It had never even entered their minds, it was inconceivable, it was initially thought that he had died against the Androids of his world after fighting bravely for thirteen years, but now he was here standing before them. Nobody seemed to want to move as both the crowd of the Z-Warriors who were too stunned at his appearance and Future Gohan himself as he was hit hard also by seeing all his dead friends and family alive and well again so nobody moved.

The young Gohan of the present time walked up forward from the crowd in an to reach out to his alternate counterpart, being pushed forward by his overridding curiosity. Gohan seemed to have recovered first as opposed to the others due to the fact that he'd already dealt with an alternate version of himself before and the fact that he was effectively dealing with himself seemed to scare him less than it did the others. The two Gohan's then looked at each other face-to-face with the older version kneeling down on one knee as they seemed to be looking at each other in appraisal of what the other looked like. "So you're the me from the future world right?" said Gohan as he seemed to be in awe of his future counterpart. "Yeah that's right. And you're the Gohan from this world who surpassed our father and saved this world from Cell." said Future Gohan with a smirk that one would place on a proud big brother. Gohan just smiled back at him as both of them just smiled and seemed to be in awe of the other in their own different way. The future version of Gohan then put his hand in the younger version's hair and rubbed it with young Gohan laughing and enjoying it as it reminded them both of what their father used to do. Future Gohan then stood back up with his hand staying on his younger version's head with him smiling down proudly.

Future Gohan then looked out to the stunned crowd in front of him and and his eyes locked on to his father Goku. He walked forward passed his younger version and went over to stand in front of their father with face filled with oceans full of emotion. It had been seventeen years since a fateful heart virus had separated them from each other in that hellish future world and now they were meeting each other again in some form thanks to the miracle of time travel. "Wow... so you're really him. I mean you're Gohan, all grown up." said Goku, eyes wide and amazed to see how his son had grown into the battle-scarred man he saw before him. "Yeah, it's been seventeen years in my time since I last saw you and I don't know how to tell you how good it feels to see you again dad." said Future Gohan as his face held a small but very bright little smile as overwelming emotions welled up inside. But then his father placed his right arm on his future son's shoulder and spoke to him in a reassuring manner. "I know what it must've been quite a struggle for you. Trunks told us of how you had to survive and fight the Androids virtually alone for thirteen years after seeing everyone you cared about get killed by those androids. I want you to know how that I'm very proud of what you've done and of the person that's standing right in front of me that you've grown into." said Goku with pride and reassurance clear in his voice. After hearing those words coming from his alternate timeline father, tears began to break at the edges of the future Gohan's eyes and he quickly planted himself into a hug with his father. "I've missed you so much dad. You don't know how hard it's been since you've been gone. I tried so hard to be strong for you, to make you proud of me. And to hear you say that just means everything to me." said Future Gohan as tears of joy he had been holding in for so long leaked out of his eyes as he leaned on his father's shoulder. The rest of the Z gang watched this emotional reunion with heartfelt approval as everyone present felt for the two of them in their own way and felt that they deserved it. (except for Vegeta of course, who just growled in the background at what he coined as _"__sickening human emotion__"_.) Even the young Gohan of the current timeline felt surprisingly happy at seeing the reunion of his older counterpart with their father as he looked back with a smile from where he stood at the exact same spot where he'd had his own encounter with his older counterpart.

But after a short while they had to finally break apart from the hug. That's when Chi-Chi came up with baby Goten cradled in her left arm and used her right hand to stroke her grown up son's scar. "Oh my poor Gohan. You've grown up so handsome and now you're handsome face is marked by scars because of all the fighting you had to do." she said as she stroke his face with watery eyes. "It's alright mom, really. I'm okay..." said Gohan softly as tried to comfort her as he didn't want her to worry over something as insignificant as a scar. That was when Future Gohan noticed the little bundle of joy who was reaching out to him from his mother's arms. "I think someone wants to say hello to you. This is Goten..." said Chi-Chi as she moved him closer and let Future Gohan shake his new found baby brother's hand. The sight and touch of meeting a new baby brother, even one from an alternate timeline, made Future Gohan feel both sadness and hope at the same time. He felt regret for how it reminded him how things could have been had the tragedies of his world not swept his family but then again it also reminded him of the great promise of the bright new future for them all being made here for both this new world and for his old one now being rebuilt.

It was then that finally the rest of the Z Team joined in and surrounded the newly arrived Future Gohan with heaps of praise and congratulations on his return. Meanwhile, all this time Videl had just been standing there with eyes wide and a noticeable blush on her face. 'Wow... That's how Gohan's gonna look like when he's grown up? Just.. Wow...' thought Videl as she saw how handsome he was and tried to mentally pictured the grown up Gohan without the scar. That was when the "real" Gohan came up next to her. "It's beautiful isn't it?" said Gohan. "Yeah, he is... Uh, I-I-I-I mean what did you say?" asked a stammered Videl. "I said it's beautiful the way that my older self has been reunited with our father again after so long. I mean I can only imagine how he must feel after not seeing him after 17-18 years where I only lost my dad for a few months. That was what you were thinking about right? I mean all girls like that romantic stuff right?" said Gohan. "Uh yeah... Yeah! That's right, that's what I was thinking about." stammered Videl, agreeing to cover the fact that she was actually thinking about him.

After a few more moments of mingling with Future Gohan, Bulma had to come in and interrupt the gang's celebrations. "Well guys, I'm sorry the have to burst your bubble but we've got to get going before the tournament starts without us." spoke out Bulma, pointing to her watch. "I guess your right Bulma. We probably should get going." reluctantly agreed Goku as he was then about to make his way to move out along with everyone else before they were stopped. "Wait guys! Before I forget, I think it should be prudent that we all agree that you shouldn't be transforming into Super Saiyans in the tournament." cautioned Bulma. "Huh? But why Bulma?" asked Goku. "You might get recognized from The Cell Games. And then the media will get your names off the registration sheets and they'll eventually find out where you live and then all your lives would be exposed to the public. And then all the reporters would come and it would be all a big story and you would never get a moment's peace." explained Bulma. "But Bulma, Yamcha, Krillin, Piccolo, Vegeta and Trunks were all at The Cell Games and they'd probably be recognized anyway. Yamcha, Krillin and Piccolo are basically the same as they were then and Vegeta and Trunks were shown both as non-Super Saiyans and as Super Saiyans. They're all running risks of being discovered as is, so why shouldn't the rest of us?" proclaimed Gohan. "Yeah, and besides, a little fame wouldn't hurt anybody. In fact some of us might even be looking forward to it." said Yamcha, obviously alluding to himself. "Yeah, well it wouldn't be that bad for us to be noticed by people." said Goku. "*sigh* I guess you're right. But I think we should still agree to keep the Super Saiyans down to a minimum. That means try not to transform out there if you feel you don't have to. But, it's your identities that you're risking so just keep that in mind." suggested Bulma. "Fine, then it's agreed. But you don't have to worry about Trunks and me getting discovered since we're planning to go back to our world the day after tomorrow." said Future Gohan with a grin. The rest of the fighters also nodded their heads in agreement and then the whole gang moved out with one group going to the stands and the other group that made up the fighters going over to the Fighters' Waiting Area.

The Z-Warriors finally arrived and moved into the large open area that was the Fighters' Waiting Area where they saw seemingly hundreds of regular normal fighters were exercising and working out. "Wow, look at all these fighters." said Goku, amazed at the number of average fighters who came to compete. "Humph! Too bad that non of them are any challenge." gruffly assessed Piccolo. That was when they caught the attention of a familiar blond haired and mustached man with sunglasses and dressed in a suit. "Hey is that?... It is!... It's Goku!" yelled the man as he ran over to where the Z-Fighters were standing and more specifically to Goku himself. "Hey! It's you!" exclaimed an overjoyed Goku at seeing the man he recognized as the announcer for his matches at the old World Tournaments. He'd aged a bit over the years but he was still by no means old yet and his hairline had not receded one bit yet. "And here I was beginning to worry that I'd never get to see you again. It seems like ages since you've last been on the scene." said the announcer. "Yeah, well I've been pretty busy with other things." cheekily replied Goku. "But hey, come on it wasn't really Mr. Satan who beat Cell. Come on I know it was really you." said the announcer as he slid in close to Goku. Both Goku and Krillin snickered at this.

"*snickers* Well actually, the credit should go to my son Gohan. He's the one who beat Cell." said Goku looking down at his son with pride and placing his hand on Gohan's shoulder. Gohan blushed in humility at his father's praise. "Awww... Come on dad. I couldn't have done it without you. It was all because of your help." retorted a bashful Gohan. The announcer just hunched down and shook Gohan's hand. "Well then it's a very big honor and pleasure to meet you Gohan. If not Goku himself then only the man's son could do something that incredible." said the announcer who then retracted his hand from Gohan who was glowing from the compliments. "Yeah, he's a chip off the old block alright. He's got the greatest fighting potential any of us have ever seen for someone so young. In fact he's surpassed me in strength and might just be still the strongest person in the world today. But try not to tell anybody he beat Cell alright? We're trying to keep it a secret for now." said Goku, whispering the last part. The announcer made the zipper motion on his mouth to signal that his lips are sealed.

"Well anyway I can't tell you how glad I am that now you've arrived. Without you these last few little tournaments that I've been forced to call have been nothing but capital B Boooorrring. But now that you're here we can expect some real fighting. Uh? And by the way? Are they by any chance all with you?" asked the announcer as he turned to the others. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." said Goku, smiling. "Greeeeaaaaat... Then that's all the better. Do you guys think that you can get through the matches without blowing up the ring this time?" asked the announcer as he glanced at Piccolo. "We'll try." said Piccolo, smirking. "And that's exactly the king of attitude the martial arts scene has been lacking. With Mr. Satan practically hosting the tournament I was worried about it but now that you're back I know we're gonna jump start these new set of tournaments the right way. So then I'll be seeing ya all in the ring! I'm expecting a super show!" said the announcer as he waved goodbye and left. 'Wow, it looks like at least one person at the tournament knows how great my dad is.' thought Gohan proudly. "Wow, at least someone at this stinkin tournament knows how great your dad is and by default us too." said Videl standing next to Gohan, voicing almost exactly what he'd been thinking. It honestly freaked him out how much alike Videl was to him sometimes.

The gang then started to move off again and made their way through the opening that led from the Waiting Area to the Fighters Lounge. But when they made their through the opening they recognized a pair of familiar faces waiting in the middle of walkway. "Tien! Chiaotzu!" as he recognized bald three-eyed monk and his short clownish faced companion that were his long time friends as well the two last two members of the Z-Fighters that they were missing. "Hey Goku! Glad to see you finally showed up." greeted an enthusiastic Tien with a knowing smirk. "Hey Tien, looks like with you now that makes that the whole gang's finally here." said Goku enthusiastically. "Hey Tien, are you and Chiaotzu going to compete?" asked the enthusiastic young Gohan. "Yeah, we are. But we don't expect to get too far. We know that we're no match for you guys (Super Saiyans). We're only here to have fun." answered a smiling Tien. "Well you won't have to worry about that Tien. We all agreed that we'll try not to transform during the tournament and if one of us does get to fight you then we won't transform." said Goku. "Well as much as I hate being held out on I have to admit that that's a relief. At least now that means we've got a fighting chance." responded Tien.

Then suddenly came the sounds of the announcement bleeps coming over the announcement system. {*Bleep Bleep* *Bleep Bleep* Attention! Attention! The World Junior Division Championship Tournament will begin in 15 minutes. Repeat, the World Junior Championship will now begin in 15 minutes. All participants are to gather at the Fighters' Lounge. Thank you.} spoke the synthesized voice over the announcement system. Everyone looked down to young Gohan and Videl. "Looks like you two better had get a move on." teased Goku as then Gohan grabbed Videl's wrist and bolted to where they needed to be for the Junior Tournament with her being pulled along.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, a heartfelt reunion with what felt like a long lost son and the tournament proceedings are about to start. Tien and Chiaotzu have now joined the gang and are now participating. The World Junior Tournament is about to start with the addition of Gohan and Videl. The action is finally going to get started in the next chapter.**


	3. The Junior Tournament Begins

**Chapter: 3**

_**:The Junior Tournament Begins**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

After Gohan and Videl bolted for the World Junior Championship stage, Goku and the gang were left on the walkway wondering what to do next. "Hey guys, why don't we go watch them fight in the Junior Tournament? It doesn't look like they'll start the real tournament until after and it's bound to be better then just standing around waiting for the Adult Tournament to start. Who knows? Maybe it'll keep us entertained until then. What do you say guys?" suggested Goku. "Why the hell not. Anything must be better than just sitting around with all those weaklings back there waiting for nothing." said the ever impatient Vegeta. And while the rest of the Z gang didn't agree with his exact language, they nonetheless agreed with his point. And so they agreed to go and began making their way to the stands.

Meanwhile, Bulma, Chi-Chi and the rest of the non-fighting gang found themselves some seats at the very top of the stands. "Well... We may not be in the first row or anything but at least this way we won't have Ox-King blocking anyones views." commented Bulma. The Ox-King just laughed a joyous laugh along with everybody else as he understood only too well that with his massive size he would cause problems for anyboby that would've been behind him had they taken any other seats. The Ox-King himself who was taking up two or three seats to himself and who sat next to Master Roshi to his left who sat at the end of the seats and his daughter Chi-Chi to his right. Bulma sat next to Chi-Chi as both women held their respective babies, Trunks and Goten in their arms. Oolong and Puar who'd joined them on the way up and now sat next to the two fiery women.

"I wish they'd get started with the Junior Tournament. I can't wait for my Gohan to win all that prize money!" said a very excited Chi-Chi, anxious to get things started. "Chi-Chi... I can't believe you're actually letting him fight!? I thought you hated Gohan fighting. What changed your mind?" asked Bulma, confused by Chi-Chi's seemingly sudden change of heart. "Gohan spent all his free time either studying in his room or helping out taking care of Goten. He may be fighting but at least it's just a tournament and he's not gonna be in any real danger since everybody he'll be fighting are his friends. Besides that, it's what he wants to do and I can't deny him that. Not to mention all the prize it's going to get us." said Chi-Chi (with a mischievous grin at the end). "But aren't you worried about Videl fighting in the Junior Tournament? She is in it too ya know? Gohan has trained her himself and I hear that her mother Seripa has been training her to give her some new tricks. Aren't you even the least bit worried." questioned Bulma. "Of course not! Gohan's little girlfriend is no match for him no matter how much she's learned." haughtily declared Chi-Chi, sticking her nose in the air.

Bulma just looked away in irritation of Chi-Chi's arrogance and as she did so she spotted something in the distance. "Hey! And speaking of Videl, isn't that Seripa over there?" asked Bulma as she spotted Videl's mother Fasha sitting in a VIP boxseat in the middle of the audience. "Yeah, that is her! I guess having Hercule as your ex-husband has it's benefits. She must be here to watch Videl fight." said Chi-Chi as she spotted her out too. Suddenly they heard some gunshots being fired into the air coming from somewhere down below in the front row of the stands. "**COME ON! LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!**" yelled out a familiar voice and the gang spotted a person with long blond hair who was standing and obviously shooting into the air. "*sigh* It looks like Launch is here too." said Bulma as she and the rest of the gang nervously went back to their seats. Although they didn't know wether this was a good thing or a bad thing for them, they just knew that at least she wasn't a threat and even though the thought of having her around gave them headaches they could relax because they knew it was just her.

A few moments later, after both Launch and the crowd settled down, Goku and the rest of the Z-Fighters arrived at the top of the stands and took their place standing close to the railing overlooking the arena. "Well they might not be front row seats but at least we get to watch the fights." Goku said enthusiastically. That was when Bulma noticed them from her seat. "Oh! Hey guys!" exclaimed Bulma as she got out of her seat and made her way to them at the railing. "Hey Bulma, what are you doing up here?" asked a delighted Goku. "Oh? Me and the rest of the gang are seated right over there." said Bulma as she pointed to their friends who waved back as they were seated in the row right next to the one the Z-Fighters were standing over. "That's great, that means we'll be able to watch the Junior Tournament from virtually the same place together." said the ever cheerful Goku. "So you guys are gonna watch from here? That's great, I hope they get started soon. I can't wait to see the kids, Gohan and Videl show their stuff. I'll be recording the whole thing with this!" explained Bulma as she unveiled a hand held video camera from her purse. "Hey? Is that a video camera? I'm sorry to say Bulma but I don't think you'll be able to catch too much of their fight with that thing. Those things have proven to be pretty useless when it comes to capturing our movements." pointed out Krillin. "Yeah, I know. That's why I had a special slow motion camera specially made just for this event so I could capture the fights just for us to watch later." explained Bulma. "Well I think it's great that you'll be able to record the fights for us to watch for years to come." said Goku with a warm smile. "Well anyway, I'll be over there with the rest of the guys and you guys'll just be over here to watch the fights right?" asked Bulma as she steadily backed away to her seat. "Right!" acknowledged Goku as Bulma then sat back in her seat as everyone sat back and readied themselves to watch the Junior Tournament.

Meanwhile, Gohan and Videl were just hanging out together in the midst of the other Junior Division competitors who were also waiting inside the Fighter's Lounge. "So how's your training been going lately? Do you think you'll ready for me if we fight?" asked Gohan, curious as to if she's gotten up to his level yet and trying to make small conversation. "I might surprise you. Mom has taught me all kinds of crazy exotic techniques from her experiences rom space and she's not the only one I've been training under. Although I've improved a lot, I don't think I'm quite as strong as you if we go Super Saiyan yet, but anything below that is anybody's guess." responded cryptically Videl. "Well, I guess that means we'll just have to stay out of Super Saiyan. Besides it's not like we have a choice. We're not supposed to transform in public anyway. And for you to transform it would be worse because of how your father has been calling our powers "tricks" and with "them" seeing the daughter of Hercule doing them it would raise a lot of questions. I think we should keep the fight out of Super Saiyan and that'll make for the fight to be a lot more fun for us." explained Gohan an Videl nodded in agreement with small smile. "Great, thanks Gohan." said Videl as she knew he was giving her big favor in letting the fight be on equal ground if they were to fight in this tournament which it seemed inevitable that they would given the competion they were staring at.

Finally it was time for the Tournament to begin as the announcer came out and stepped onto the ring. "Heeeeeyyyyyy all you crazy fans! Now first let's make sure you came to the right place. Does anyone here loooovvve martial arts? *crowd cheers* Then don't move an inch because you've landed at the one, the only, the great World Martial Arts Tournament. Now back for the first time in over 12 years due to popular demand and with plenty of new features for a new beginning. Now first let's start off with the latest addition to the event, the Junior Division Competion!" announced the announcer as he got the audience pumped. "Man! It's amazing how it's changed. They sure changed a lot of things this year." commented Krillin from their vantage point on the railing. "It looks like they made the ring a bit bigger than it was in the old days." cheerfully observed Goku. "Good, that makes for better fighting." commented Piccolo, looking down seriously with his arms crossed. That was when the junior competitors filed in into two sets of lines on the edge of the ring closest to the main building. "Hey look! Gohan and Videl." pointed out Krillin as the two junior Z-Fighters stood next to each other at the end of the left side rank.

"Unlike the adult competion there is no qualifying round. All 64 of these young fighters are going to test their mini muscles in the ring. The rules are same as the big leagues, whoever gives up, lands outside the ring, stays down for ten counts or loses consciousness will lose it all! We've got 10 million zenni for the winner and 5 mill for the runner-up. And this year we have an extra special treat for the winner! In fact it's so special it makes me wish I was a kid just for the chance. You see the winner will get his choice to either have a chance to qualify for the Adult Division or have a chance to fight the man himself, the champ, the great Mr. Satan!" declared the announcer as he pointed his arm to the fighter's entrance where out popped Mr. Satan himself while posing his twin victory signs along with the added flash of explosive pyrotechnics. Mr. Satan then tried making a leaping entrance over the announcer only to end up hitting the back of his head on the ring floor. Everybody in the audience laughed at this but except for Videl who just blushed in embarrassement which thankfully nobody but Gohan noticed. After rolling around in pain, Hercule managed to get back up to his feet and put up a strong front to make the crowd believe that he'd done it on purpose and that he wasn't hurt which is exactly the opposite of what he really did.

"Hey champ, you're truly great, getting us going like that. But I'm afraid I have to inform all of you that due to an *clears throat* "unfortunate delay" the champ Hercule was unable to register in time and therefore is ineligible to compete in the tournament as planned." said the announcer as the crowd groaned in disappointment at the news. "But, the champ is here and has agreed to be the special honored guest of these games. Which means he will be in attendance to watch the competitions for the winner of the World Martial Arts Tournament Championship will take on the holder of the World's Heavyweight Martial Arts Championship and the Man Who Defeated Cell in a unification match at a later date. Also he will still be in action today as he will take on the World Junior Champion provided that the youngster chooses that option and really what choice is there?" declared the announcer as he said that last bit in a rhetorical manner that once again lead the crowd to cheer. Hercule then began to do a series of silly overly macho poses as hundreds of peoples' photo camera's began flashing to take pictures of their "hero". Piccolo however had seem enough of this and with a flash of his eyes all the cameras in the stadium exploded. "Hey Piccolo, why'd you do that?" asked Goku. "A ring is a place for fighters not publicity seekers. Besides we won't have to worry as much about being exposed. And don't worry, I made sure not to touch Bulma's camera. I know that Bulma can be trusted." explained Piccolo as they then all went back to watching the ring. "Awww... And that pose would've made a really great poster too." grumbled Mr. Satan as he looked on dumbfounded at what just happened to all the cameras in the stadium.

"Well... If there's nothing else to do, what do say we get the World Martial Arts Tournament going? *crowd cheers* First up the Junior Division! First up in the first match we have 11 year old Gohan taking on 12 year old Koreiyu." announced the announcer as all the other kids as well as Hercule filed back into the main building and leaving the two participants in the ring. Gohan's opponent was apparently a kid about the same size as Gohan with a slightly slimmer face, tanned skin and wild brown hair with a white headband similar to his own hairstyle when he fought the Saiyans on Earth when he was younger except only a little bit shorter. His opponent also wore a uniform similar to the basic Turtle School style except for it being basic blue with a white belt and an orange star encased in a circle on the right side of the shirt. 'Great... Looks like I'm in the first match.' thought Gohan sarcastically as walked his way to the middle of the ring. "Gohan is the son of former champion Goku so fighting is truly in this kid's blood. This is his first appearance at these tournaments but if he's anything like his father then that'll mean he'll be something to watch in this tournament." said the announcer as the crowd stayed mostly silent but with some people cheering and especially one loud one from the top of the stands which actually reached Gohan's ears. "YEAH! GO GOHAN! BEAT 'EM ALL! YOU CAN DO IT!" shouted Chi-Chi while standing on top of the seats in front of her. "Mooooom... not so loud." mumbled Gohan barely audible as he slightly lowered his head and blushing embarrassingly. "His opponent Koreiyu however is a promising young student of the famous Chin Star School from the far eastern regions. He's participated in some tournaments before and has won many matches. I'm sure he'll be a strong challenge for anyone in the Junior Division. This should be an interesting contest. Now let the matches begin!" declared the announcer as he then ran back to a safe distance out of the ring.

Both fighters got into their fighting stances, although Gohan didn't really need to go in a stance he didn't want to look too strong in front of the crowd and so both sides settled into waiting for the other to make the first move. 'Aww man... And I was hoping to start off with a weaker kid so I could play off my strength as just being how weak he is. But now how am I going to beat this guy without showing off too much of my strength? This guy doesn't seem like too much of a pushover compared to the rest of them so I can't use a really weak looking move on him or else I'd end up looking too strong nor can I do something too strong and actually seriously hurt him. I guess I could use... Naaaah! Too strong... Maybe if I... naaah too weak looking...' Gohan thought to himself as tried to figure out the right moves with which to take his opponent out. Gohan lowered his eyes and furrowed his brow in obvious deep thought as he tried to figure out a solution to his particular quandary.

Many seconds ticked by as his opponent waited impatiently for Gohan to make the first move but as he realised that Gohan was not paying attention to him and was apparently too distracted by whatever he was obviously thinking about. Although feeling insulted at not being paid attention to by his opponent he nonetheless realised that this was probably his only opportunity to get him while his guard was down and he decided to grab it. Gohan's opponent launched his most powerful punch straight for the middle of Gohan's face which Gohan didn't see coming due to how heavily deep in thought he was. But when the punch connected Gohan didn't even move an inch and the crowd and the announcer stood speechless at this event. It was a few moments before Gohan looked up and saw his opponent standing still in fear and disbelief with his fist still embedded in his face. "Well... So much for staying under the radar..." said Gohan in a sweatdrop. Knowing that he'd already pretty much blown his cover Gohan decided to end this match before anything else happened and he sent back a "light" punch which sent his opponent sailing into the wall of the arena. 'Oops... I guess I overdid it a little. I hope I didn't hurt the guy too bad.' thought Gohan as he looked back at the paramedics surrounding the boy. He then nervously made his way back to main building while leaving a stunned and speechless audience in his wake.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** And so the World Junior Tournament is now officially underway. I'm sorry for most of the chapter being mostly boring dialogue but it needed to be done. So Mr. Satan is now going to act like a sort of special guest/party host/master of games of the tournament, so he's still going to be part of the seen and watching some of the fights from a VIP seat somewhere. Because I've still got **_**plans**_** for him at he end, so don't you worry about him.**

**That and I hope you enjoyed that little moment wit Gohan in his first match. His opponent was basically the kid who Hercule raised on his shoulders after losing the fight back in the original cannon World Tournament Saga in the anime. You remember? The kid who sorta looked like Gohan from back when he was younger in the Saiyan Saga? Now I know that that kid would've too young to be participating in this tournament and that it's not right for continuity and all that, but cut me a break okay? I thought that the kid had a good contemporary look that I liked and I couldn't come up with anything better to do with a random opponent for Gohan's first match. So just pretend that that kid **_**wasn't**_** at the tournament years later and that he's at that age and is right here this time. This is **_**my**_** story so DEAL.**


	4. The World Junior Finals

**Chapter: 4**

_**:The World Junior Finals**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Gohan returned to the Fighter's Lounge and when he got there he found himself surrounded by what seemed like hundreds scared shitless looking kids staring straight at him. Suddenly he heard some slow handed clapping echoing alone across the room and he turned around to find Videl doing the clapping along with a small smirk on her face. As she then stopped clapping she then chuckled along with some shakes of her head. "*giggles* Well... that was sure embarrassing." said Videl with a knowing smirk, obviously referencing how he'd got hit in the face because he was thinking too much. Gohan just blushed in embarrassement. "Yeah, It sorta was... But hey, at least I won and now I don't have to worry so much about hiding my strength since that cat's obviously out of the bag." said Gohan cheerfully, trying to look on the bright side of things like he usually did. Videl just smiled at the way he was able cheer himself up and that was the invitation for him to come over and continue their conversation more privately. The young crowd of junior competitors that surrounded them then managed to collectively shake off their mesmerized looks of terror and left them alone to do whatever it is each of them were doing before. "Well... if there's one thing you're little match taught us it's that holding back in front of this crowd isn't going to be easy for us. Not only that but we're going to have to be really careful not to permanently injure anyone. We don't really want to hurt any of these kids." said Videl as Gohan nodded in agreement and they both went back to hanging out together and waiting for their next turn.

Meanwhile, the Junior Tournament continued as the regular kids took to the stage and match after match ended up as being just hilarious comedic entertainment for the crowd and not real fighting. "Well... this is about as exciting as watching wallpaper dry." dryly commented Krillin while looking bored as he and the other Z-Fighters watched from their vantage point on the railing with equal dissatisfaction about the comedy below. "Yeah, I sorta know what you mean. It looks like things won't get interesting until we see Gohan and Videl fight." agreed Goku as they continued to watch the tournament below and as the tournament went on, Gohan and Videl's matches quickly became the sights to see. They dazzled the crowd with their rapid one move finishes and displays of superhuman strength and skill as they easily won their matches. One by one they finished off their matches quite handedly until finally they made their way up the tournament rankings and into the final match.

Gohan and Videl were stood side by side waiting behind of the large kanji symbol that separated the entrance from the Fighter's Lounge to the ring outside. "Well, this is it... The finals." said Videl as she looked across to Gohan with a competitive smile edging at the corner of her mouth as she felt psyched up for this match. Gohan looked across to her too and met her smile with his own competitive smile. "Yeah... Now Videl I just want you to know that this isn't gonna be like when I was training you in the meadow or out in space. This is a real match and I wanna win it, so I'm going to come at you with full force." said Gohan, now taking on a more serious expression, giving her a last warning as he was still sceptical that she could really be his equal and that he didn't want to end up hurting her badly if she wasn't strong enough. "Yeah, I know. In fact I want you to promise me that you'll come at me full force for the win because I wanna see if I've truly caught up to you with my training or not. I think that I have, so it's only fair to warn you that I'm going to go for the win too." said Videl with passion and ending it with a competitive smile. 'Man, she's realy serious about this. I guess she must've really progressed a lot for her to think that.' thought Gohan as he then acknowledged her request with a nod. "Alright Videl... I guess you really have progressed since you've trained under me. It seems just like yesterday that we were master and student together." said Gohan, reminiscing. "Master and student? Oh! That's right I almost forgot!" exclaimed Videl as she then ran back across the corridor. "Wait! Where are you going? Forgot what?" asked Gohan in confusion. "You'll see, just wait for me a little while." said Videl as she waved back and disappeared around the corner and leaving behind Gohan to wonder at what she'd meant.

In the meantime, Mr. Hercule Satan was in his private dressing room busy making ridiculous poses and faces in the mirror when a tournament monk with glasses came calling. "Um? Excuse me sir, Mr. Satan? I hate to bother you but I just wanted to let you know that the World Junior Finals are about to start. I thought you might want to know." said the monk. "Huh? Watch a couple of kids pound the livin heck out of each other? Tell me what business is that of mine?" rhetorically questioned Mr. Satan as he turned an annoyed glance at the monk for having been interrupted from his 'practice'. "Well sir, your daughter Videl is fighting in the finals along with a young boy who we're told is the son of a previous champion. Both of them have shown incredible strength in getting to the finals and it looks like it's going to be a rather impressive match." informed the monk. "AAAH ha haaa! That's my girl! Of course she made it to the finals she takes after me after all. Yup I taught her everything she knows, but just to be fair I guess I could check it out just to see my precious little girl win her first world title. *clears throat* Besides I'm supposed to have an exhibition match with the winner of this thing so it wouldn't hurt to scope out the competition." said Hercule, saying that last part in semi-jest as he then started to make his way to the ring.

Meanwhile, Videl finally came back running to Gohan and surprisingly now wearing an almost exact replica of his outfit. "Huh!? Videl? That's where you went to? To change into that? Why would you do that?" asked a somewhat surprised Gohan, taken aback by her daring to expose her association with him and 'them' in general and wanting to know why. "Isn't it traditional for students to wear the uniforms of their teachers out of respect? I mean aren't doing the same thing right now for Piccolo? You were the first to teach me about my new powers and how to fight with them so to me I consider you to be like my first teacher and I want to show it. I'm going out there to honor you by wearing your colors as your student and I don't care what the public or anyone else out there in that stadium thinks. I'm one of you guys now and that means I'll risk it all with you guys too and there's nothing you can do about it." said Videl with a fierce determination burning in her beautiful passionate blue eyes. However Gohan just smiled at this. "Alright..." was his response as they then turned forward and walked into the bright light of the outside as they began marching their way to the ring.

"Nooowwwww! The moment you've all been waiting for, _the_ Junior Divison Championship match between 11 year old Gohan and 10 year old Videl. Aaannd here they co... Huh!?" began announcing the announcer but he was cut off when Gohan and Videl emerged from the main building wearing identical uniforms. The audience too, which had started cheering for the two fighters as they came out but however stopped cheering in favor of murmuring amongst themselves about this shocking and confusing development as they couldn't figure out why the daughter of "The World Hero" Mr. Satan was doing this. Gohan and Videl however, just grinned like idiots and waved to the crowds as they made their way to the ring. "Well this is a strange development... I think I must be seeing double as Videl Satan is coming to the ring wearing the exact same fighting attire as her opponent! Is this some kind of mind game that she's playing with her opponent?" asked the announcer to the audience as they continued to murmur among themselves about the possibilities. 'Videl, I sure hope you know what you're doing.' thought Gohan as he glanced worriedly in Videl's direction. Once they made it to the ring, the ring announcer came over and gently stuck the microphone in Videl's mouth. "Excuse me, Miss Videl? But I along with the rest of the audience were just wondering why you chose to wear 'that' for your match here today?" asked the announcer, not wanting to sound too imposing. "Oh!? Well you see me and him trained together in his martial arts style. I learned so much from him that it was _almost_ like learning under him. I guess you could say I consider him to be like my sensei and so I had this uniform specially made and now I'm wearing this uniform to honor my sensei. There's alot for me that I feel I need to prove in this match personally." said Videl as she constantly glanced Gohan's way with a knowing smile and the crowd cheered for her in appreciation of what they saw as a noble gesture from her.

"Well you heard it folks! It seems that this match is more than just a championship match for one of our competitors, it's a proving ground in what sounds like a very personnal way. It seems that these two tiny titans trained together in a similar discipline and formed a close familiarity with one another. Outside the realm of competition these two may be friends but inside the ring today they'll be adversaries in a test to see can outdo the other on grandest stage of them all with the World Junior Championship at stake. *crowd cheers* Now, another thing that connects these two proud young fighters is the fact that they're both the offsprings of world champions! Gohan is the son of Goku, who was the last champion of the old World Martial Arts Tournament some twelve years ago and surely most of you if not all of you already know that Videl is the daughter of our current World Champion Mr. Satan! That's some proud family history that's for sure and I'm sure that both of them are planning on making championship gold a family tradition. Both have undoubtedly inherited their fathers' fighting strength if you look at the amazing strength and skills they've both displayed in this tournament to get getting to this point. It is entirely possible that either of these two if not both of them could be World Martial Arts Champions someday but which one of them will win it today, who knows? Now fighters, TAKE YOUR POSITIONS!" finished the announcer as with a chop of his hand he motioned for the fighters to get ready and then ran out of the ring to what he estimated to be a safe distance as the two fighters got into their respective stances.

Uptop the railings above the stadium the older Z-Fighters were anxiously awaiting the start of the fight. "This is going to be good." said Goku with excitement etched on his face. "Yes, finally we're at least going to see a real fight." agreed Vegeta, albeit in his own arrogant way as he stood with his arms crossed, watching the tournament. "Yeah, you got that right... Just look at the way they're staring at each other down there. Looks like those two little lovebirds are really heating it up. This looks like a barn-burner of a match." stated Krillin in anticipation. "If the match goes to Super Saiyan then Gohan has the definite advantage, but if they keep the fight at their normal forms, then as it stands now there's no telling who'll win." stated Piccolo, though saying it more to himself, being as analytical as always.

Meanwhile, Mr. Hercule Satan had finally made his way to the arena to watch the match just as the announcer told them to take their positions, overlooking them from behind the large kanji sign that was in the middle of the entrance-way to the ring. "What is that daughter of mine thinking? Why is she wearing the same outfit as that kid? Maybe it's just simple mind games that she's trying to play? Yeah, that's it, after all I did teach her all about getting in your opponents head and misdirecting them with your appearance." said Hercule, thinking outloud about his daughter's confusing attire. 'Because if this is anything like just her way of trying to attract a boyfriend with that kid then just consider whatever that kid's name is' days' numbered.' thought Hercule as he turned a glaring eye towards his daughter's opponent for the first time. "My, they sure do look pretty strong out there for a couple of kids." commented the nerdy monk who was right next to him. Mr. Satan just shot him a quick glance along with a snort as he then looked back at the ring, clearly but quietly annoyed with his presence. "Hmmm... That kid? I think I recognise him, he looks fairly familiar to me somehow. Yes... I know I've seen that kid's face somewhere before but I can't quite picture where..." said Mr. Satan as he stroked his chin in thought. Suddenly his face exploded in recognition and stood there like that for a few seconds as he thought he'd finally put the face to the place. But then his face went right back to the thoughtful stroking of the chin. "No, I'm thinking of someone else." dismissed Hercule as he went back to thinking on his mystery kids' possible identity.

Back inside the ring, Gohan and Videl were staring each other down in opposing stances. Gohan stood with his left side facing forward to Videl in the same stance that he'd opened up against Cell. Videl on the other hand was in a similar but slightly different stance. _(A/N: Basically the exact same stance as she has in the Raging Blast game during the talking scenes before matches.)_ "Remember Videl, no Super Saiyan." whispered Gohan loudly enough for Videl to hear but quietly enough for no one else to hear. "Hmph... I was about the say that! And it goes double for you." whispered back Videl but with a little emphasis in her words that made them as if she was shouting them. "AAAAAAAANNNND LET THE MATCH BEEGIIIIIIIIN!" screamed the announcer with another chop of his hand and the two kids charged at each other as the match officially began.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Okay, so Videl and Gohan are now fighting in the finals. Hope you guys enjoy that. Sorry for the long set up, but it was necessary. Next time we'll be getting down to the fight proper. Hope you enjoyed the little moment where Videl wears the same uniform as Gohan. I think it reflects her pride in her feelings for her "special" relationship with her close friend and teacher and shows the difference of the strength of her character as the way she's grown in my story as she's willing to show it off.**


	5. Gohan vs Videl

**Chapter: 5**

_**:Gohan vs Videl**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Gohan and Videl began the match both charging simultaniously at each other, running in crouched positions at each other. They both met in the middle of the ring throwing straight punches with their right hands which they simultaniously caught with their left hands. They stood still in that position straining to push through the other with the massive strengths that they wielded for several seconds to see who had the slight over the other. Both their faces were in the position next to the side of each other and neither one looked the slightest strained as if neither one were using their full available power. A small smile appeared creeping at the edges of their lips as if they were enjoying it. Then, to the audiences surprise they both seemed to transform into blurry streaks that shot out straight up into the air that collided with each other in a criss-crossing manner before reaching their peak and both streaks went diagonally in opposite directions that landed at opposite ends of the ring. Both fighters used one foot to skip forward and launch themselves at each other at high speeds and when they met in the center of the ring they both connected with punches to the face. They both then recoiled away from the force of their punches and regained control in the air to land about five feet from each other. They stood straight and looked at each other with identical looking grins plastered on their faces as they looked like they were enjoying the thrill of each others' challenges.

The entire audience stood silent in dumbfounded surprise at what they just saw. This was totally not what they had expected to see. It took a few seconds for them to register what had just happened until finally one fan in the audience recovered enough to scream something out. "MORE! We want more!" screamed the lone fan and then the entire stadium cheered explosively in agreement as they too wanted to see more. Meantime, Hercule was looking on with eyes as big as dinner plates about to pop right out of their sockets. "...This.. can't be happening..." spoke a terrified Mr. Satan, too terrified about the thought of two kids having these kinds of powers let alone for his mind to register about his daughter being one.

"Woohooo! Yeah! Would you look at those two? They're really going at it! This is a great fight!" exclaimed Goku as he watched with excitement. "Yeah, this is great and they look pretty well matched. Who knew that Videl could keep up with Gohan so easily now." agreed Krillin as he too was leaning down in great interest in the match. "Remember Krillin they're only looking like that now, it's only the beginning. It's only in the later stages that we'll see if she can truly keep up with Gohan. It's not over till it's over." said Piccolo, looking at the match gruff and serious as always.

Back at ringside, the announcer was so happy and excited about the match, he was pumping his fists in front of himself. 'Just when I thought I'd given up hope. Just when I thought I wouldn't get to see another match like this, _it came_ and this is only the Junior Division! What are the adults going to be like? I can't wait! This is the tournament I've been waiting for all these years!' thought the announcer in such giddy excitement he was shaking. "Folks! Have you **ever** seen anything like this? This is amazing! The match is just starting but so far it looks like both competitors are evenly matched. Looks like this match is going to come down to whoever is going to break the deadlock and win the match." shouted the announcer in his microphone and the crowd responded in kind.

Back in the ring, Gohan and Videl were over in their slight pause and they exploded into action once again. They leaped at each other and engaged in a fast evenly matched melee of punches and kicks a few feet off the ground. Then, slowly but surely their fight levitated themselves up further into the air until they were about eight stories high above from the top of the stadium. Then, when Videl went for a punch to his face, Gohan vanished away. Videl's eyes quickly traced upwards to where Gohan had gone above and Videl responded in kind by following him in a blur. Gohan reappeared several meters above from where they were and Videl appearing behind him with a dropping elbow aimed right for his head. Gohan seemed to look up in surprise just in time to catch it but then as she made to hit him, he fizzled out, an afterimage.

Gohan reappeared behind her with an horizontal knife chop but she just fazed out at super speed. They continued countering each other with these vanishing acts at least six more times trying to get the others' back until finally at the end of their run they both vanished simultaniously. A few tense seconds ticked by as nothing happened. Then finally a large ripple in the air accompanied by it's traditional loud bang appeared out of nowhere and both Gohan and Videl reappeared a few feet apart from the epicenter of their apparent collision flying in opposite directions from apparently having hit each other hard simultaniously.

Videl was the first to recover and sped right back like a bullet going for the still flying Gohan. But Gohan recovered just seconds before she arrived and saw her coming just in time to catch her punch with both hands just like the seasoned fighter he was. He then spun her around once before using a judo-like throw to toss her back down to the ring. Gohan pursued behind her as she went back down, but then she recovered and as she landed on her feet, she counterattacked with a simple one armed blast. Gohan however swatted the attack away without stopping his fall as it was a simple attack for someone of his relative experience.

Gohan used his high speed to appear behind her with a downward elbow strike aimed at the joint between her neck and shoulder but she saw it coming and caught it, using it for a judo throw of her own. Gohan managed to land on his feet but in a short skid due to the force of Videl's throw. Videl tried to capitalize while he was still skidding but he caught her punch and he then went to counter with a punch of his own but he too was caught and so they were left in a stalemate.

But Videl then quickly shifted her fisted hand that was caught and switched it into a hand with it's fingers interlocked with Gohan's. She leaped up to bring her entire body almost overhead of Gohan and tried to deliver a sweeping kick to his head while still holding his hand as leverage. But Gohan was too fast and dodged the kick by ducking his head. Gohan used his arm that was still connected to Videl to push her up clear overhead much like a figure-skater. But Videl released herself and flipped in midair to land lightly on her feet.

Gohan tried to go for a punch to her in the face but she moved her head to the side to dodge the attack and used the movement to get on the inside of his guard. She then grabbed his shirt with both hands and tripped his foot before using his own momentum to flip him overhead. _(A/N: Basically it's the same move she used on Spopovitch in the original anime.)_ But Gohan managed to use both hands to push himself off like a handstand and flip back onto his feet while in the meantime almost simultaniously Videl sprang back up to a vertical basis. They then both turned on a dime simultaniously and found themselves back at a standstill in mirror offensive stances.

Meanwhile, Hercule was beside himself with fear as his eyes blew up like dinner plates. "...This... can't be real. No way! They have the same sorta powers as those guys that fought Cell!" stuttered Hercule. 'But wait a minute, how's that my precious Videl's got those powers?' wondered Hercule in his head. Hercule then started to take more notice of Videl's adversary. After taking a second look at Gohan in the ring Hercule finally put two-and-two together and recognized him for who he really was and the revelation both shocked and terrified him. "It can't be... It's him... It's them! The ones with the powers! That guy looks just like the guy who beat Cell!?" Hercule said, terrified as he backed away on foot as if wanting to escape a nightmare.

"And it looks like contestant Gohan has managed to right himself and both contestants are now mirroring each other at another stalemate. It looks like this could go for the long haul." said the announcer, finishing up the last part of the action as he'd been keeping up or at least trying to keep up with his play-by-play all fight long. Gohan and Videl then began circling around each other like twin predators while simultaniously creating some distance. "Wow Videl, I can't believe how much you've improved. You're actually holding your own in this form and in fact I actually thought you had me a few times back there. You've really gotten strong." said Gohan with a proud smile on his face. "Thank you, but it's really all thanks to your training. In fact I think you've trained me too good, now I can handle anything you can dish out." countered Videl with a smile of her own. "Well, let's see how you handle THIS!" yelled out Gohan as he then brought his hands above his head and began charging the distinctive yellow energy of his familiar signature attack. "Woah! This place is way too crowded to be firing energy blasts! It's way too dangerous!" exclaimed Krillin in a panic. "Ah, don't worry Krillin, it'll be fine. Gohan's in complete control." said Goku reassuredly.

"Masenko HAAAAA!" yelled out Gohan as he fired his signature move straight at Videl but she weaved out of the way to dodge the attack. Gohan promptly brought his hands up and the wave responded accordingly by redirecting itself straight up and missing the crowd which left almost the entire audience speechless. "Woooo! That was close, but looks like you were right Goku. I guess I shouldn't've doubted him." said a relieved Krillin which left a pridefully beaming Goku.

Back at ground level the announcer breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew! That was a close one." muttered the announcer to himself as he wiped his forehead with his forearm. He then ran inside the ring taking advantage of the brief pause in action and stuck the microphone in front of Gohan's face. "Pardon the interruption but could you care to explain just what the heck that was that you just did? Those in our audience obviously have never seen anything quite like that and I myself have never seen that exact technique. Care to enlighten us?" asked the announcer. Gohan had a bit of a confused look on his face but he decided to be polite and oblige. "That? Oh that was my Masenko technique. It's my own original move, I learned it from watching moves of my first teacher and in the process created something unique to myself that was reminiscent of his attacks but slightly different from them too." answered Gohan. While it impressed everyone that he'd created it himself it still left the audience in the air. "Well that's good enough for me! Please continue." said the announcer as he then scampered back outside the ring. He knew that the audience was likely still confused over this but, he knew that the Z-Fighters didn't want to explain themselves too much when it came to energy techniques and so he let it drop.

"Woah! And I always thought it was you who'd invented that move and taught it to Gohan while training out in the wilderness Piccolo!" exclaimed Krillin, looking up to Piccolo. All eyes turned to Piccolo, even Goku raised a suspicious looking eyebrow at him. "And what made you think that? Gohan's always been a pretty bright kid, even back then. Creating his own attack like that should come as no surprise." Piccolo said with a prideful smirk edging at the corner of his mouth and then the gang resumed watching the match.

"You showoff! Well two can play at that game. Your not the only one who knows the Masenko anymore, or did you forget you taught it to me. I'll show you that my Masenko is now just as strong as yours is! MASENKO HAAA!" shouted Videl as she charged up and sent her own Masenko right at Gohan. "Incredible! Videl has unleashed the same attack as her opponent did just moments ago. It seems turnabout is fairplay in her books as her opponent is now on the receiving end of the very attack that he himself admitted invented." commented the stunned announcer. Gohan however didn't flinch as he got his game face on and weaved out of the way just as Videl did earlier and the attack continued on towards the audience.

"Oh no! I can't stop it!" shouted Videl in horror as she'd forgotten that she hadn't learned how to control and redirect her attacks yet. Gohan turned his head and looked back at where the head of the beam was and quickly realized the situation. He quickly fazed out and moved at the fastest speed he could muster making it look like he was fazing in and out and in and out until he reappeared just feet away from the crowd and caught the beam with both hands. He struggled to hold the beam but he held it nonetheless for a few seconds and then he countershot some energy of his own which canceled it out and detonated it. Everyone in the stadium either breathed a sigh of relief or looked on in shock and amazement at what they'd seen.

Gohan slowly floated back down to the middle of the ring with his arms crossed and a look on his face that wouldn't be out of place on a parent or teacher about the scold their child or student. "I can't believe you Videl! That was an incredibly reckless move you made. You shouldn't go firing beams when you have innocent people in your line of fire and especially when you don't have the proper control to redirect it. I thought you were smarter then that. I expected better from you." scolded Gohan, speaking to her as if she were still his student. "I'm sorry, you're right it was a bad move. I don't have anything to say for myself except that it was a 'lapse in judgement'." said Videl with her head lowered, feeling ashamed. " *sigh*Well, nothing to do about it now and I know you won't make the same mistake again. So let's just get on with the match." said Gohan as he got back into a battle stance (The one Teen Gohan uses in _Budokai Tenkaichi 3_.) Videl looked back up and smiled followed by a brief single nod. "Thank you Gohan and yes, let's do it!" said Videl, her confidence now restored as she went into an identical stance as Gohan. "I certainly hope that that Masenko wasn't the best you've got because you're never going to win by just using the same techniques." shot Gohan. "Don't worry, I've still got plenty of new techniques from my mom left to pull out. You'll never see them coming." returned Videl. They faced off with their auras suffusing the air as they heatedly prepared for the next stage of the fight. "Oh boy! Looks like this match is about to heat up!" ecstatically announced the announcer.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, took a while to get here, but finally we're down to the first true match of the tournament. Gohan vs Videl was hard to choreograph with since neither of them have been shown fighting as young kids nor at this sort of level. But I hope you're enjoying it so far. Videl's about as equally strong as Gohan now when it comes to power levels as non-Super Saiyans. But as Super Saiyans themselves Videl would still be overpowered by Gohan and they both know it. Videl may be strong, even as a Super Saiyan at this point. She's had over half a year to train and to get further control of her Super Saiyan abilities, and she **_**is**_** much stranger than a regular Super Saiyan, in fact almost halfway to a Full Power Super Saiyan. But Gohan's abilities as a full Power Super Saiyan would still exceed her and she would be at an even more severe disadvantage than it already is. And so I hope you've enjoyed it so far. There's more to come.**


	6. A Match of Young Lovers

**Chapter: 6**

_**:A Match of Young Lovers**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Gohan and Videl continued to stare each other down with identical stances and competitive smirks plastered on their faces. The tension built in the arena until finally the tension broke and they went at it. In an instant Gohan and Videl were found in the middle of the ring engaged in a super high paced battle of fists and feet only to faze out simultaniously in an instant and reappear floating somewhere in the air still engaged in the same brawl. They just seemed to disappeared and reappear with occasionally a couple of concussion waves from their punches coming in between their appearances. They kept this up continuously for about a minute or two straight.

But finally there had to be a breakthrough and it came when Gohan barely managed to sway his head away in time to dodge a punch aimed at his chin, it was so close that time seemed slow down and move in slowmotion for him for that instant. They were on the ground in the middle of the ring when it happened and Videl took full advantage of this opportunity to go on the offensive. She began to chase him around the ring swinging for the fences with punches and kicks as Gohan backpedalled and dodged all the way (Basically the same choreography as when Videl fought Saiyaman in the anime). But there was something wrong with this picture as Gohan kept a playful smile on his face as did Videl while they fought and it was at that stage that a slight change began to occur in the nature of the flow of the fight.

Finally Gohan made a final dodge and counterattacked and now it was _him_ who was chasing her around the ring. This cycle went on several times as one would chase the other and back again. But strangely they seemed to start moving in sync with each other as their movements flowed into each others. They broke apart from each other and then began running around intersecting with each other to try to catch each other with various moves like diagonal double arm hammer strikes or overhead kicks and various other moves only for the opposite party to flow and or duck and dodge out of the way every time and while all the while both of them were smiling. Somehow a feeling of just having fun and enjoying their time in the ring had overcome them and that was exactly just what they were doing and it was translating into the way they were fighting. But it was a whole other feeling that overcame them every time whenever they briefly looked into each other's eyes whenever they passed by each other on whatever maneuver they had.

Finally they stopped chasing after each other and returned to a hand-to-hand exchange in the middle of the ring but something was different about this time. They seemed to move and flow into into each other's moves so well that it almost looked as if they were in a dance. Unknown to them, they were both now unconsciously starting to feel the love they had secretly built up for each other over this last year they had been friends and now it was exploding in the way they were fighting and creating something truly beautiful in the ring. Although they were so wrapped up in the actual doing and feelings of the motions that neither one really knew what they were doing or feeling, they just did what they felt like doing.

The fight then took a turn as they started to levitate off the ground while they were still fighting. They were twirling around each other like the needle on a broken compass as they quickly rose up into the air, all the while continuing to exchange punches between themselves. "Woah! Looks like this battle has taken to the air once again!" exclaimed the announcer. Finally they reached their limit and found themselves floating in the midst of the clouds. Videl then fazed out out of the way just as Gohan went for a punch to her face. Gohan stopped and looked around trying to find her in the clouds. 'Okay, where did you go?' thought Gohan as he searched with both his eyes and his senses to locate her. He didn't have to search long as she came out of nowhere and leaped over him while tapping the top of his head. "Tag! You're it!" she teased as she then flew back into the safety of the clouds. "Huh!? Tag? Well if that's the way you wanna play it? Then ready or not hear I come!" playfully shot back Gohan as he leaped into the clouds after her.

Gohan and Videl played a game of hide and seek by hiding in and out of the clouds as they just forgot about their match and just laughed and giggled and overall just enjoyed playing together like the little kids they still were. "Woah! It looks like a full out game of cat and mouse up there!" exclaimed the announcer as he observed them with his binoculars. Either he didn't realise what was really going on or he knew exactly what was happening and was just covering them for the crowd. Either way the audience bought it and cheered the fight on. But after a while things settled down a bit between Gohan and Videl as they just gently flew around the clouds and enjoying the brief moment that just somehow felt so romantic. They enjoyed looking in each other's eyes as they slowly twirled around up and over each other like a pair of gymnastic ribbons as time seemed to stand still for them.

But it was Gohan who started actually thinking about it first. 'Man... I've never felt like this before. I've never experienced a moment like this anywhere else in my life and especially not during a fight. What is this feeling? Wait! Is it ... love? Am I really falling in love with her? No! As weird as it sounds I _**know**_ that I love her. I've never felt anything like this for anyone else before in my life, for boy or girls. I just wish it didn't have to come to me in the middle of a fight.' thought Gohan as he finally realised what he truly felt inside. However the look on his face which was already in "lovey duvey" mode didn't change much and so didn't reveal this sudden realisation to Videl who was also lost in her own train of thought. "Gohan? Is it just me or are you feeling strange too?" asked Videl, still eyeing him dreamingly. "Yeah, I think so." replied Gohan with a similar look on his face. "Well before we have to go back fighting, I just want you to know that ever since that first time I met you back at the Cell Games I've admired you so much. I guess you could even say that you became my personnal hero to me and ever since you've brought me into your life I've come to admire you even more. You're the person that I admire most and that's the reason why I want to beat you here today. You're my personnal goal, Gohan... My own mountain to climb... My horizon. I've been training every day for the last year, hunting you, chasing you and coming so far just so that I could one day be as strong as you so I could stand beside you. And no matter what the outcome of this fight is. Be it win, lose or draw nothing will ever change how grateful I am to have met you and share in your friendship." confessed Videl, speaking from her heart. "Thank you, Videl that means a lot to me. But I'm afraid that we've still got a match to finish. So if you don't mind..." Gohan trailed on as Videl got it. "Why yes, of course. Let's finish this... " acknowledged Videl with Gohan replying with a nod. They both then just fazed out simultaniously and returned to fighting the match.

High in the sky concussion waves reverberated all across the skies from Gohan and Videl's battle, dispersing the clouds around them. "Woah! Looks like this battle has heated up once again. They're really going at it up there." said the announcer as he and the crowds observed from below. Finally, back up in the sky after awhile of colliding in the clouds Videl finally managed to get in the upper hand with a straight fully extended uppercut which she then followed up with by flipping over his head and grabbing his head between her knees and diving straight down for the middle of the stadium ring (Basically the same move as Fasha's final finishing move in her ultimate in _Budokai Tenkaichi 3_.) As they plummeted to the ground, Gohan began regaining his senses about halfway to the ground and quickly realised what was happening and tried to pry her legs off with his free hands but Videl's grip was too strong. It was too late as Gohan hit the ground neck first which it almost snapped, he bounced once then twice and then was left motionless to everyones surprise and/or horror.

Videl had leaped off him and out of the way once she'd made her hit and now stood in a ready stance ready for action. But very quickly her face turned from one of intensity to one of worry. 'Oops! I didn't think I hit him that hard. I didn't mean to break his neck! Maybe I should've held back a bit more? Oh I hope he's alright.' thought Videl worriedly. Gohan's eyes were open but the irises were noticeably lucid and his face held a surprised but blanc expression as he layed motionless on the ring floor. "Aaaaannnnd that seems to be it folks! After a drop like that it seems that Gohan is down and out! He doesn't look like he's going to be getting back up from that but just to be official I'll start the count. 1... 2... 3... 4... Fi... " counted the announcer but he was cut off as Gohan began to groggily get back up to everyones surprise or at least the ones except a certain group friends and fighters watching up top in the top row.

"Ow! That one really hurt!" said Gohan as he clutched the back the back of his neck. "HE'S UP! I CAN'T BELIEVE HE'S UP!" yelled the announcer in joy. Videl however was almost just as surprised and the shock wore on her face. 'I can't believe him! He's back up that soon after that hit? Man! I knew he was tough and that he'd be almost impossible to defeat but I mean I didn't THAT tough! I mean come on, what do I have to hit him with to make him stay down? ... Well at least he's alright.' thought Videl as she then got back her guard up. "Wow Videl, that move was awesome! You almost beat me with that, any more force and I would've been out for good." complimented Gohan as he got back up into his own stance. "Thanks Gohan, it was one of my moms moves, she taught it to me." responded Videl, basking in his compliments. "Well it's a good move but let's see what other moves you've learned." shot Gohan smirkingly as they then launched head on at each other back into the fight.

Gohan and Videl went into another high speed exchange of equally blocking or dodging each others attacks in the middle of the ring. They continued exchanging attacks until Videl somersaulted back first out of the way and making Gohan miss his intended punch. Videl then made for what appeared to be a flying kick but when she reached him she wrapped her legs around his head and which left her crotch in his face which made him feel very awkward at that moment. But Videl wasn't done with her attack as she used his temporary awkwardness to extend herself upside down and place her hands on the floor before trying to flip him over with her legs. But Gohan was too quick and too good as he fazed out the instant she let go.(Basically the same maneuver they used as when she fought Saiyaman in the original anime.)

Videl then found two muscular arms hugging her really hard from behind and now it was her who was blushing from the awkwardness for a moment. Gohan had her trapped and now he powered his blue aura and jetted straight up into the air and then, at about halfway up between the clouds and the ground he turned back down and went down at an extreme velocity. Videl tried to struggle her way out but the airspeed and his grip were too strong. At about just below the stadium ceiling he let go to let her drop at a high velocity to the middle of the ring. (Basically the same move that the transformed Zarbon used against Vegeta.) But Videl managed to use her freed hands to blast some energy at the ring floor at the last second which allowed her to rebound and ricochet right back at the floating Gohan. (Goten's little move.) The move was so surprising to Gohan that he didn't react in time for her kneeing him into his gut in which his body contorted to her knee a bit. Videl then backhanded him in the back which sent him away down in a diagonal direction close to the edge of the ring. Gohan managed to recover and land on his feet just feet from the edge of the ring and then just stood there looking up at the floating Videl as both sides stood at a momentary break in action as they both regrouped to think about what to do next.

Videl was now breathing hard and sweating as she was beginning to get tired and by the looks of things Gohan wasn't looking tired in the least. But as much as she didn't want to admit it this battle and especially the last few maneuvers had taken their toll on her. She wasn't as used to these type of fights as he was, he was much more experienced in controlling his body's energies than her so his endurance was much greater than her's. 'I can't believe I used up this much energy already. I'm too tired now. On the next move I'll be slow enough for him to be too fast and then he'll catch me and it'll be over. I have to get him _now_. It's now or never!' desperately thought Videl. "Hey Gohan! You wanted to see one of my moms new moves? Well take all of this one!" yelled out Videl as she cupped her hands at her left side like that of a Kamehameha but her hands were higher up just above her stomach and the ball of energy that was charging in them was pink in color. (Look at Fasha's attack in _Budokai Tenkaichi 3_.) She then unleashed the energy and a pink beam of energy much like a Kamehameha rushed directly at Gohan. Gohan quickly reacted as he spread his arms at his sides and spread his legs as he activated a energy shield around him to take the beam head on.

Videl's blast crashed head long into the forcefield with all its strength but the field nor Gohan would give an inch as both sides struggled to hold the battle. Knowing that this was her last shot at winning, Videl poured everything she had into her attack which nearly doubled it's size and made the 'bulb' of the attack nearly as big as Gohan's field itself. But although the increase in power pushed Gohan and his forcefield in their entiredy back a few inches, they did not bulge or break. 'It's no use! I'm at my limit! I can't break through!' despairingly thought Videl as she was rearing her head back as she struggled just to maintain her beam. Sensing that she was at her limit Gohan chose that now was the time to counterattack. Gohan screamed his head off as he masterfully reconcentrated the energy he was using for his forcefield into a huge attack ball that still held opposed to Videl's orb. He then pushed the energy using his hands like he would shooting a Masenko blast which created a beam trail attached to the attack making it look like a big yellow Kamehameha that now overtook Videl's smaller beam. Videl managed to release her beam at the last second and managed to twist out of the way before she got hit. But Videl made a cardinal mistake as she looked up to follow the path of the combined beams up in the sky and forgot to keep her eyes on Gohan.

Gohan took full advantage as fazed in behind her and layed in a heavy straight punch to her back. Videl flew straight down but she managed to recover and land on her feet. But as soon as she stood straight up Gohan reappeared like a reverse afterimage standing back-to-back with her. "I'm sorry Videl, but it's over." whispered Gohan. "What do you mean it's over?" asked Videl. "That last attack I used a special energy that invaded your system and in a few seconds you'll be out cold. But before that happens I want you to know that you almost had me a few times and that you could've won. But I also want you to know that I've never had as much fun in a fight before as with you. Thank you..." said Gohan. And with that a smile graced her lips as Videl then slumped down into unconsciousness. The fight was over.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** So I hope you've enjoyed my fight between Gohan and Videl. It was certainly a task to write it for you. I wanted to try to reflect Videl's inexperience in this kind of fight as well as Gohan's marked experience. I also wanted the match to be as equally matched as possible to reflect Videl's growth as a fighter over my story. I also wanted to show a kind of "lovers fight" in this match, and that was no mean feat since that's never really been attempted in a DBZ fight before. I tried to take keys from several sources, including Hinata's waterfall dance from ****Naruto**** and from the match between ****Ray Kon**** and ****Mariah**** from ****Beyblade****Season 1**** especially. It was meant to act as the a major breaking point for the romance of the love story I've got brewing between Gohan and Videl. Like two dancing partners finding themselves in step with one another on the dancing floor. Except for Gohan and Videl it's on the battlefield of a tournament ring.**

**I wanted to give Videl her unique style of fighting to reflect her training. I gave her her own style from when she was older in the cannon in order to reflect her original martial arts training, Gohan's own style since she trained under him for a long while, and a few moves from what we know of Fasha's repertoire since in my story she's her mother and therefore would've taught Videl some of her moves while at home. And as well I took a few keys from Goten and Trunks' fight since that's the classic template for a kids fight in DBZ. I hope my choices were adequate. It was a hard and complicated fight to choreograph since nothing like it was done before.**

**I wanted to start of with something big enough to be impressive while small scale enough to make it only the beginning as there's still a whole tournament of fights left and I didn't want to get then too overblown by this fight. This is only the beginning after all. That and that last move I wanted something subtle, unique, surprising, but reflective of Gohan's greater experience taking advantage of Videl's lesser experience and epic enough a moment to reflect a **_**GREAT**_** fight. I think and I hope that I did that. It was terribly hard to come up with what I found to be an adequate ending. I hope you enjoyed.**


	7. The World Junior Finals Concludes

**Chapter: 7**

_**The World Junior Finals Concludes**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Both the audience and the announcer were jawdropped at the outcome of the match. Finally the announcer got his act together and adressed the crowd. "Ladies and gentleman, it looks like we have a winner over here! But just to be safe I'm going to have to go through the official ten count." announced the announcer as he then went down the full ten count while Gohan looked down at his laying opponent mournfully. 'Wow... She really gave it everything she got.' thought Gohan mournfully as he realized that it was him who'd done that to her, knocking her out like that and it didn't sit right doing that to a friend he cared about much much more than he wanted to admit. "8... 9... 10! Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner!" called the announcer as he raised Gohan's hand in victory to the rapturous applause of the crowd. But Gohan however, didn't look like he felt much like celebrating.

"Wow! Videl really took it to Gohan. Who knew she was at this level? She's almost evenly matched with Gohan now." exclaimed an excited and proud Goku. "It may be true that her energy levels and speed are about the same as Gohans' but she's still wet behind the ears when it comes to this kind of high level of fighting. She still can't control her energy blasts well enough to control their trajectories yet and she still doesn't know how to regulate her powers well enough at that high a pace which is why she'd used up most of her energy before the match ended. Videl made a rookie mistake at the end when she took her eye off the ball for one second and Gohan took advantage like a seasoned warrior. But then again I also noticed that due to her prior training she uses a great deal of basic elementary level martial arts moves and smartly incorporated them into her fighting style. Gohan's greater experience at this level of fighting was the only thing that saved him at a few points. All in all she did do a good job, but she still has much to learn." gruffly analysed Piccolo with his arms ever crossed. "Yeah, I noticed all that stuff too but aren't you being a bit hard? I mean she caught Gohan for a loop quite a few times and she's only been training with us for less than a year so cut her some slack Piccolo. I think she fought great and gave us an excellent show." said Goku as he leaned forward on the railing with pride. "Well I think they just fought like children and that's all I have to say about them... Although it wasn't half-bad entertainement for this pathetic little human tournament." said the ever sour Vegeta as he scoffed it off and walked away, although the rest of the gang suspected he enjoyed the match more then he let on and just didn't want to admit it.

Meanwhile, a certain TV director was busy yelling at his camera crews. "You mean to tell me that you didn't catch any of that?" rhetorically asked the blond haired TV director to one of the technical guys. "No way, all the units all still down and the funny thing is we can't find anything wrong with them. They should be working just fine but they aren't, it's wierd and it's not just us. All the camera's in the stadium are out, even down to the disposables from the vending machines." explained the technician. "Darn! The fight of the century just went on and we couldn't even get a snapshot!" cursed the director while slapping a rolled up newspaper in his hand.

Meanwhile, back at ringside the announcer glanced down a look at the unconscious Videl as he continued to hold up Gohan's hand. "Will she be alright, kid?" privately whispered the obviously concerned announcer man. "She should be just fine in a few moments. The special energy I used to knock her out was only supposed to be strong enough to keep her down just long enough for me to win the match. She should've woken up any moment now." said Gohan as he looked away in shame as he still felt badly about what he'd done. But just then Videl began to stir up. She woke up rubbing the back of her neck and looked up just to see that the announcer was holding up Gohan's arm along with the entire crowd cheering. It didn't take long for her to put things together and figure out what'd happened. "Wait a minute, don't tell me... I lost." despondently said Videl once she'd gotten up. "Yeah... you did." reluctantly responded Gohan, very reluctantly.

"I'm sorry Gohan, I couldn't be a better opponent. I wanted so badly to beat you so I could prove to you that I'm as strong as you but I'm still so much weaker than you. You must be so ashamed of me as a student." disheartedly said Videl as she looked down at the ground in shame. "What are talking about? You did great! I can't believe how much you've gotten stronger. You have gotten to where you're just as strong as I am in my normal form. I wasn't holding back anything during the entire match but still you were able to be well matched with me the whole match long. You even honestly caught me off guard a few times and almost won the match. I'm very impressed and proud with you Videl. You're an awesome fighter." adamantly praised Gohan. At that praise, Videl lifted up her head and her spirits were also lifted as an incredibly grateful smile adorned her face. "You really mean that? Thank you!" exclaimed Videl. "Hey, it's the truth Videl. And don't mention it." responded Gohan as she and him clasped each others hand like gang members' greetings in a symbolic gesture of respect.

"And there you have it folks! What an end to an incredible battle! But now that that's settled, it's time for the newly crowned World Junior Champion to make a decision. Gohan, you now face the choice of either competing in the adult's portion of the tournament and compete for the World Championship or face the World Champ himself MR. SATAN!" said the announcer as he turned from addressing the crowd to addressing Gohan directly. Gohan just glanced back in the direction where Mr. Satan was standing and gave a mischievious little smirk. That looked like the absolute last thing that Hercule wanted to see as the look on his face indicated that he was either ready to shit his pants or to piss in them. But Gohan just looked back up at the announcer. "You know, as tempting as it is to fight the "great" Mr. Satan I would have to say that I want to fight in the adult tournament." declared Gohan. A small little smirk appeared on the face of the announcer as he knew what that meant and was hoping for that. "Are you suuuuuure you don't want to change your decision?" asked the announcer although it sounded more like a playful tease as he already knew what the answer was. "No, absolutely not." responded Gohan with a smile. "Well, theeeeere you have it folks. It looks like we're going to see the World Junior Champion in some more action here today. What an exciting development!" excitedly addressed the announcer to the crowd and they loudly responded in kind.

Meanwhile, back up on the railing. "Well, that was certainly interesting to watch. What do you guys say we head for the adult tournament? I'm sure we'll meet up with Gohan once we're there." suggested Goku. "Sure, nothing left for us here." agreed Krillin as he and the rest of the gang moved on except for Future Gohan. "You guys go ahead, I'll meet with you guys later." said Future Gohan. "You're sticking back? That's fine, but for what for?" asked Goku. "There's just something I just want to check out. I won't be long." cryptically said Future Gohan, looking up at the sky. "Alright, suit yourself." said Goku shrugging his shoulders before he and rest moved on.

Gohan and Videl left the ring, waving to the crowds until they entered the entranceway to the main building where they encountered a stunned Hercule. "V-V-Videl... How? ... How is it that you got's the same powers as those guys who fought Cell? And how is it that you know this boy?" asked a discombobulated Hercule. "Well, it's kinda of a long explanation dad and I don't really have the time for it right now. But I promise you I'll explain it all about me and Gohan later. But right now I have to go change. See you later Gohan! Wait up for me!" said Videl as she waved back as she ran off to the locker room. "You got it Videl! See you later Mr. Satan." said Gohan as he ran off in another direction. It took a few seconds for Hercules brain to get around what had just happened. "Hey you boy! You'd better not be her boyfriend or there'll be some hell to pay! Do you hear me!? You'd better keep your hands off of my daughter!" yelled out Hercule angrily waving his arms, seeing the signs of their relationship and going into "overprotective fatherhood mode". Gohan just laughed it off as he ran off out of earshot.

A little while later, Videl walked out of the locker room wearing her regular white and purple shirt combo that she usually wears instead of her slightly tattered Gohan uniform replica. But what she found or rather who she found waiting for her leaning against the wall a la Piccolo next to the locker room doors was Future Gohan. "Hey there, you must be Videl right?" asked Future Gohan with a small smirk on his face. "Uh yeah, that's right." spoke an oddly meek acting Videl who was even blushing to have this admittedly handsome older version of Gohan addressing her and looking all cool the way he was like that. "I saw you fight out there. Very nice. I could see from the way you two fought out there that you and the younger me seem to have a very strong connection to each other." said Future Gohan. "Oh? You noticed that huh? Well... I guess me and him have become really close friends now." admitted a bashful looking Videl.

There was a slight pause as Future Gohan just looked at her with a knowing smirk but then it shifted to a just a warm smile. "You know what? He's really lucky to have someone like you in his life. I'm really glad that you're in his life. But I'm ashamed to admitted this, but I guess I can't help but feel envious of him a little." admitted Future Gohan with a slightly lowered look on his face. "Why do you say that?" asked a curious Videl. "Because he has you, a close friend his own age to be with and growing up I never had someone like that in my life. In my world there is no Videl. Either it's because she was killed in the dark times of the Androids or maybe it's just that we've always missed each other and never met." said a sorrowful looking Future Gohan. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I'm sorry things turned so bad for you in your world." said an equally sorrowful looking Videl. At that Future Gohan's face snapped up with a smile now covering his face. "What do you have to be sorry for? It's not your fault it happened. Besides, things all panned out in the end for both our worlds. And even though it's only for a moment, I'm happy to have met you. You've made me hopeful now that I can meet my own Videl someday." said Gohan with a smile as he then turned his head and looked optimistically to the skies and at that Videl smiled too.

Meanwhile, the present day Gohan arrived at where the others were waiying in front of the entrance to the area where they were holding all the fighters for the preliminaries. "Good for you to finally join us Gohan." Goku joyfully greeted. Shortly thereafter Future Gohan and Videl arrived to join the group. "Hey, sorry to hold you guys up but we just needed to have a talk to each other a little." explained Future Gohan. "No problem." simply said Goku. 'What could they have had to talk about?' thought Gohan, suspiciously but innocently confused. At that point the gang began moving into the open area where the fighters were all gathering. But then a monk who was guarding the entranceway motioned to stop both little Gohan and Videl. "Sorry, but this a restricted area. Only adults who are participating in the adults tournament are allowed in this room and that means no kids allowed." said the monk. Both Gohan and Videl were annoyed at this but should've expected as much. "Look sir, I'm the new World Junior Champion, Gohan and I've just won a whole tournament to earn a spot in the adult tournament." politely protested Gohan. "Yeah, and I'm Videl Satan the daughter of the World Champion Mr. Satan and plus I was placed in the finals match of the Junior Tournament so shouldn't there be some sort of special privileges or exceptions for me?" asked a very annoyed Videl. The monk stammered in his place with which he then checked with his superiors on his walkie-talkie and he came back to wave them in along with muttering a few apologies.

Once they were in it seemed as if there were hundreds of fighters crowded in the area. As they waited for things to move forward, certain members of the Z-Fighters began scanning the crowd to scope out the competition to pass the time. It was then that Piccolo noticed a pair of familiar faces among the crowd. "Look over there. It looks like the Androids have decided to show up too." said Piccolo as the rest of them quickly turned their attention to the left. Indeed it was Androids 17 and 18 who were standing together off in the crowd. Future Gohan and Trunks both snarled and growled aggravatingly at the sight of the pair. "It looks like they want to take part in the tournament too. Let's keep an eye on them." said Goku. But then the present Gohan turned his head as he felt what he thought was a strange but familiar energy. Pretty soon all the rest of the Z-Fighters were sensing the presence and they eventually turned to the direction they sensed it from. They saw what was a cloaked figure about as tall as Vegeta with a brown hood and cloak covering his head and body completely. "That guy isn't normal. He feels too strong for this competition." said Piccolo. "It's strange, I feel as though I've felt him before but I can't place where. He feels familiar but... different?" said a confused but somehow alerted Gohan. Piccolo looked down at his young prodigy and put his hand on the young Gohan's shoulder. "You too kid? I know, I get the same feeling. His energy is too weak to make out for sure so I can't tell exactly. But his energy feels almost exactly like your own but also different in some ways. It's strange... But anyway I don't like it and whoever this guy is he feels like trouble so I say we watch him carefully." said Piccolo and the others agreed with a collective nod.

"Attention participates! The prelims for the World Martial Arts Tournament will now begin. 209 people have entered the adult tournament, unfortunately there are only 16 spots. To ensure fairness we will select the finalists by way of punching strength. The people with the highest scores on the machine will be given the 16 spots." announced a rotund tournament official. "Punch Machine? Mmm... That's a new one." said Krillin. Some monks heaved the Punching Machine to the front of the crowd. "And now to test out the new Punching Machine and to give us a score to go by we have asked the defending World Heavyweight Martial Arts Champion and the tournaments special honored guest Mr. Satan to make the first hit. Mr. Satan! Would you care to come on down please!" directed the official and on cue the "great" Mr. Satan appeared in all his macho glory. "Does anyone want this!?" yelled Hercule as he held his championship belt in the air to the cheer of the crowd of fighters. "People will cheer for a goldfish if you put a champion belt on it." joked Krillin to the laughs of most of the Z-Fighters, including Videl who gave Krillin a high five. "Alright, I'll show you something. SATAN PUNCH!" screamed Mr. Satan as he delivered his full power punch to the machine and the screen flashed 137. "Incredible! Mr. Satan has scored 137 points!" shouted the tournament official. "Hey! I hope that at least one of you chumps break a hundred so we can have a decent match." said Mr. Satan as he left to the cheer of the crowd.

"Next up, would the newly crowned World Junior Champion please come up. As the official winner of the choice prize he is automatically allowed entry and the second punch." announced the official. Gohan immediately walked up to the machine much to the snickers and laughs of the regular normal fighters who obviously hadn't watched his match and thought he was just a weak kid. Gohan punched the machine as lightly as he could and the screen flashed 224 to the amazement of the official and to the horror of the regular fighters. But the amazement didn't end there as one by one the Z-Fighters and their "guests" punched out their amazing scores and qualified. Eventually Vegeta was the last in line and with his patience at an end he gave the machine a real punch which completely obliterated it before the bugging eyes of the officials. "Well, so much for restraining." said Gohan as Goku grabbed his head in despair. "I'm giving up! That guy would turn me inside out." said one anonymous competitor and the rest of the competitors shared the same sentiments as they too all gave up and pretty soon the room was cleared of anyone but for the Z-Fighters, their direct opposition and the unfortunate qualifiers from the normal fighters.

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**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well... a lot happened in this chapter. I hope you enjoyed the little clause I managed to get for Gohan to win the World Junior Championship while still getting him to participate in the Adult Tournament. I feel that that would be something that Videl could sneak into the rules thanks to her dad. I hope you liked the little moment shared between Future Gohan and Videl. And the tournament is moving on and I've introduced the new player as a mystery fighter. You'll just have to keep guessing for now as to who it is.**


	8. Who Will Fight Who?

**Chapter: 8**

_**:Who Will Fight Who?**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

The tournament moved on ahead as they moved on to the tournament drawings. This was where they would decide who would be fighting who. The tournament monks brought in a large white blackboard with the tournament ladder drawn on it but without names. "Alright then, it seems that everyone is already here. When you hear your name called out please come up here and draw a ball from the box. The balls you choose will determine your opponent in the match." declared the announcer guy. At that point Chiaotzu looked up at Tien. "Tien? Do you want me to control the draws again?" asked Chiaotzu in a hushed tone as to not be heard by everyone. "No Chiaotzu, not this time. I want to leave things totally fair and up to chance this time. I guess I want to see where destiny places us." whispered back Tien. "Alright, first up iiiis Goku! Would you please come up here?" announced the announcer guy. "Alright, here goes!" said Goku to himself as he then stretched his legs a little. He then walked up and picked up his ball from the box. "Aaaaand looks like Goku's picked up number 13." said the announcer guy and the word was passed down down a chain of monks with walkie-talkies who put the names up on the boards. "I wonder who I'll end up fighting?" questioned Goku to himself as he took a last look at his placement on the board.

"Next up iiiiis Majunior." announced the announcer guy. "Huh!? Majunior?" exclaimed Goku, looking at Piccolo surprised, recognizing the name. "Yeah, I thought I should protect my identity a little bit." responded Piccolo. "Heh, yeah I guess it would be better for people not to here your real name otherwise we might start a panic." cheerfully said Goku as Piccolo moved on. Piccolo pulled out number 2, his name was added to the board and he then went right back to where he was standing before. "Huh Krillin? You're next." announced the announcer guy. Krillin placed his hands together in a praying position as if to pray to whatever God would listen. "Okay, I don't ask for much, but please don't make me fight any of my friends. Especially not Goku." Krillin prayed to himself, saying the last part mostly under breath. Piccolo who was standing next to him smiled at the silliness of his friend. "Krillin, destiny is not something that you can control." reassuringly said Piccolo. "It doesn't hurt to try?" returned Krillin as he then went to pick up his ball. He picked up the number 6 ball much to his relief. "And Krillin's got number 6. That places him in the third match. Next up is Trunks." said the announcer guy as Trunks then went to pick up his ball which turned out to be number 9.

"Would Mr. Anonymous please come to the stand?" announced the announcer guy. "Right, that's me." said Future Gohan. "Huh? Mr. Anonymous?" questioned Goku as he looked perplexed at his future son. "Yeah, well since there's two of us in this tournament I can't exactly call myself Future Gohan or something can I?" explained Future Gohan as Goku nodded his head in understanding, getting it. Future Gohan came up to get his ball and when he did the announcer guy squinted as he looked at his face in partial recognition. "Huh? You know, you look alot like Goku, almost like twins. Are you and him related somehow?" asked the somewhat confused and curious announcer. "Yeah, well I guess you could say that I'm both closely and at the same time distantly related to Goku. But as to my real name and how exactly I'm related to him I can't tell you. Personal security reasons, hence why I'm going under as Anonymous. You understand right?" explained Future Gohan in a whisper. "No problem kid, I understand. "Fate of the World" type stuff and all that. Am I right? Don't worry, your secret's safe with me" acknowledged the announcer with a wink. "Right..." returned Future Gohan with a return wink of his own. Future Gohan then went for his ball and pulled out number 4. "And Mr. Anonymous is number 4! He'll be in the second match." announced the announcer guy as Future Gohan moved on.

"Next up is our other mystery fighter in the the lineup, Fighter X!" announced the announcer guy. And with that, the sinisterly cloaked short figure made his way to the box to pick up his ball. But just before he was about to put his hand into the box, he turned his head around and looked directly at the younger version of Gohan. "Whoever this guy is, he sure seems interested in you Gohan. Did you feel the way his energy spiked up the moment he looked at you?" noticed Piccolo. "Yeah, and not only that but I could feel the intensity of his glare when he looked at me even though I couldn't see his face. I think that I'm the one he's looking to fight." said Gohan, looking a bit worried. "Aaaand Fighter X has taken spot number 8. That places him in the fourth match!" announced the announcer. As the stranger made his way back he took one last menacing glance at Gohan. 'Yup, that guy definitely wants me for his match. And he creeps the hell out of me.' thought Gohan. Undeterred, Gohan glared back at the stranger with the trademark stare of intimidating determination that his father was known for.

"Next up! Would our newly crowned World Junior Champion, Gohan please come to claim his ball?" called out the announcer. 'Well...*Gulp* I guess it's time to see who I get.' Gohan thought as he visually gulped to himself. "Good luck son!" cheered Goku his father, and it helped his confidence a bit. He then began walking up to the box with an odd little smile on his face. "Hey kid! You look a little excited there Champ. Is there anyone in particular that you want to fight here?" asked the announcer. "No, not really. I guess I just want a good opponent for my first match. And I guess I am a little excited I guess." answered Gohan as he then reached in and fumbled for his ball. When he pulled it out and looked at it first a great big ol' smirk appeared on his face. He then put out his arm and displayed the ball directly at the Z-Fighters direction or more specifically Piccolo with smirk on his face as it showed the number 1 ball. _(A/N: Just imagine Vegeta's pose when he showed that he had the same number of for Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament.)_ For those who know the two and their history together it was a bombshell. "Wow! Gohan and Piccolo right off the bat!" exclaimed Krillin, expressing a sentiment that many of them shared. Just about everybody in the Z-Fighters had open jaws as Piccolo just smirked back in reply as an old gleam returned to his eyes that hadn't been there for a long time. However, the blonde haired announcer looked back and forth between the two and their "groupies" in confusion. "Would you mind telling me what's going on here?" asked the announcer to Gohan. "He's the one who trained me. Before I started training with my dad. There's nobody I look up to more than him... Except for my dad." answered Gohan with his smirk ever present before walking back to his friends with said smirk.

After standing there transfixed for a few seconds, the announcer guy literally shook it off by shaking his head and returned to his faculties. "Well, looks like we have our first match of the tournament set up. Gohan, the new World Junior Champion against Majunior, a former tournament finalist in the first match. Now would Vegeta please come up next to claim his number?" declared the announcer. Vegeta came up and dug his hand in into the box and it was clear to the Z-Fighters who he was looking for. But when he pulled out his ball he had on a most displeased scowl on his face as he pulled out number 11, much to the relief of the Z-Fighters. 'Darn it! It looks like I won't be facing Kakarot in the initial round. No matter, I'll still defeat anyone who gets in my way until I do face him.' thought Vegeta as he fumingly tossed the ball back at the announcer and stormed back to his former standing position.

"Well, it looks like Vegeta got number 11. Would uhhh... Number 17 please come up next?" tentavely asked the announcer, unsure about the name being a number. And with that Android 17 casually came up to claim his draw with his typical cocky smirk, all the while both Future Gohan and Trunks menacingly growled at him. Android 17 took no notice as he drew his lot and came up with number 3. "Number 3, looks like you'll be fighting Mr. Anonymous in the second match." observed the announcer guy to the android. "Hmmm... looks like I get to fight Goku's scarred lookalike friend. This should be interesting. He looks like he could be some fun..." said Android 17 as he looked back at the snarling face of Future Gohan with a smirk on his face. Future Gohan's face shifted to an eerie smile in return as it promised that this was the fight he wanted. Then after, Android 17 casually walked back to stand with his sister.

"Would number 18 now come up to the stand?" called out the announcer. "Break a leg, sis." smirkingly joked Android 17 as Android 18 began to walk up. "Is your name really number 18?" asked the announcer. "My father was rather bland." answered Android 18 in her rather cold way as she then pulled out her ball. To her astonishment she pull out number 5. "And you've pulled out number 5! Looks like you'll be facing Krillin in the third match." said the announcer, loud enough to be heard by the other competitors. "Oh great, I'm fighting 18. What in the world did I do to deserve this? If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any." Krillin lamented to himself. But as he looked up to see her reaction from up front she looked back at him with her face still the same neutral expression it always is but for a redness in her cheeks that made it look like she was blushing, as if her face was just a mask for what she was really feeling inside. But Krillin dismissed it as just seeing things as he felt she couldn't have any feelings for him. In reality she really had been blushing and trying to hide her feelings as she had been thinking about him ever since they parted ways after the end of the Cell Games. It had been haunting her mind as to how he'd chosen not to deactivate her when he should have or about how he was the only one to care enough about her to carry her and save her after she was spit out by Cell. It boggled her mind and after a while she began to develop feelings. But although she now knew that he'd liked her she didn't know how she felt for him or if he still felt the same way for her. Android 18 returned to standing next to her her brother. "Well, looks like you'll be fighting you're little boyfriend. How deliciously fun." chided Android 17, knowing of how her mind had been secretly plagued by him. "Shut up!" snapped 18 and he backed off, albeit with a smirk.

The drawings for the match ups continued as Spopovitch and Jewel picked their numbers and got 14 and 10 respectively. "... And Spopovitch has number 10 which means he'll be taking on Goku!" announced the announcer. "This is ridiculous! Trust Kakarrot getting an easy opponent." grumbled Vegeta in the back. "... And Pintar has drawn number 12!" declared the announcer. "What!? That's my opponent? And I was hoping for an opponent who could at least warm me up." protested Vegeta, mostly to himself. That was when a large rotund arabian looking man that one could mistake for a genie accosted next to Vegeta. "You the one they call Vegeta?" asked mockingly the one who was obviously called Pintar. "That depends... who wants to know." responded Vegeta with a sideways smirk. "Hah! You may be a short little man but I promise you when we get to that ring your gonna be screaming for your mommy." attempted to antagonize Pintar as he got in Vegeta's face, but he didn't seem fazed at all. "Yeah, well that's just the sort of garbage that I would expect to come out of the mouth of weakling fighter." shot back Vegeta with his trademark smirk. "Aah! You jerk! What you think that size doesn't matter? Well I'm going to show you that it does little man. You should pick up out a coffin because you are going to die out there today. You hear me?" angrily shot back Pintar, but Vegeta, although his smirk had turned to a frown on account of being annoyed at what he considered to be less than a fly, he kept his self control and didn't hospitalise him on the spot. The two of them would continue this little relationship of antagonism until they would get to their match.

Chiaotzu went next and the little doll-like Z-Fighter levitated himself up to the box and drew his ball. It would have been easier for him to just levitate the ball with telepathy but that would've let him see the balls telepathically and Tien had insisted on doing things fairly. But by drawing the ball "blind" he found out the shock of his life as the ball revealed itself to be the number 7 ball. "Annnd Chiaotzu draws number 7. It looks like he'll be taking on the mysterious Fighter X in the fourth match." enthusiastically announced the announcer but nobody in the Z-Fighters showed much enthusiasm. Poor little Chiaotzu was going to be the first one to face the stranger, the first one to find out the extent of his powers. It was a case of either he was being a lamb sent to the slaughter or that this mystery fighter was just a paper dragon and Chiaotzu would easily destroy him. Chiaotzu made his way back sullenly with several of the others trying to consol him and Tien looking especially worried. "Hey, look at it this way Chiaotzu, maybe he'll turn out to be a great big wimp just like the others and you'll crush him easily." consoled Krillin, but somehow Chiaotzu doubted it.

"Now that that's settled I guess I can announce the next match and forego the drawings since they'll just end up chosing each other anyway. The last match will be Yamcha vs Tien Shinhan, an exciting battle." declared the announcer. 'A match with Tien? This is perfect! He's just the right match for me.' thought Yamcha to himself. 'A match with Yamcha? This is just the opportunity I've been waiting for.' likewise thought Tien as both he and Yamcha stared across at each other with identical smirks. "Well Tien, it looks like we get matched up with each other. I hafta say that this is exactly one of the things I've been hoping for from this tournament." said Yamcha with a determined competitive smirk. "Me too, it seems fate has chosen to follow on what both we wanted today. This should be fun and so I say good luck." replied Tien with his own smirk attached. "Break a leg Tien. Although this time it'll be yours. I've been wanting ta pay you back for that last time." said Yamcha in obviously fake antagonism, like he was sharing a bad joke between them. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't plan on losing. I may not be breaking your leg this time, but I will be breaking your pride a bit. I think I'll just settle for that." returned Tien with an equally competitive stare.

Everyone's attention then shifted back to the announcer guy who was making his final address to them. "And theeerrre! We have a full board of fighters! In the first match we have World Junior Champ Gohan vs Majunior. In the second match we have Number 17 vs Mr. Anonymous. The third match will be Ms. Number 18 vs Krillin. The fourth match will be Chiaotzu vs Fighter X. The fifth match is Trunks vs Jewel. Sixth match is Vegeta vs Pintar. Seventh match is Goku vs Spopovitch. And the eight and final match of the first round will be Tien against Yamcha. The fighting will commence immediately, I will quickly show you all to your waiting room. I'm sure you know all the fighting rules. You are the loser if you give up, if you get knocked down and I count to ten, if you fall out of the ring or if you unfortunately kill your competitor. Each match is a time limit of 30 minutes and not a second more. If there is not a victor decided in the allotted time, then that decision will be left up to the judges." declared the announcer guy to the enthusiastic group of fighters. With that, next up the World Tournament was about to begin...

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**Author's Final Thoughts:**** So everyone is paired up now. I hope you liked my pairings. Because it's going to lead into the most epic tournament I can conceive of.**


	9. The First Match, Gohan vs Piccolo

**Chapter: 9**

_**:The First Match**_

_**:Gohan vs Piccolo**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

The adults portion of the World Martial Arts Tournament was about to begin as the fighters moved to the waiting room in the Main Building. As they waited for things to get started, each fighter settled into their own corners of the room to do their own thing. Some were meditating, others were stretching and some were busy chatting with others, like Gohan and Videl were doing. Videl had gotten inside the the Fighter's room by once again playing up her champion's daughter status and privileges with the tournament workers guarding the place and squeaked on in with the other fighters that way. Piccolo was busy brooding up against the wall in the background, glancing around every now and again, checking things out. As they listened to the announcer guy starting to hype up the crowds they could sense that "it" was about to start very shortly.

It was then that Piccolo walked up to Gohan and by association Videl too. "Gohan, 'that' guy has been staring at you none stop this entire time." said Piccolo in a, for him, serious manner. Gohan and Videl both snuck a glance at the corner of the room where they saw that the cloaked stranger Fighter X was indeed clearly staring in their direction while leaning up against the wall in a very Piccolo-like pose. "Yeah, I've sorta been noticing a while now." answered Gohan. "Well, if there were any doubts before, he's definitely got interest in you for whatever reason. He's definitely aiming for you in this tournament and probably wants nothing else. Be careful of him." warned Piccolo. "Right! I know." determinedly responded Gohan, signalling that he was ready for the challenge in the way that only true heroes do. Piccolo smiled as he saw that he truly was his father's son. At that point they heard the announcer declaring something outside. "Aaaaaand now! Let's get our first fighters out here!" yelled the announcer, signalling for the match to start. "Well, looks like we're up. Let's go..." simply said Piccolo as then both he and Gohan started walking out side by side to the ring. "Good luck Gohan! Win this one!" cheered Videl, waving. Gohan sent her back a thumbs up and a confident smile.

"Aaaaand here they come! Our first two fighters of the day, Gohan and Majunior! Both of these fighters have already proved themselves quite prolific in these tournaments. This is a match that we should feel lucky to have as our opening match as this should prove to be a terrific battle." said the announcer guy as they walked the path to the ring. The crowd cheered as the two fighters walked up the steps and placed themselves where they stood at their respective starting positions facing each other. "Young Gohan is the son of former champion Goku, the last man to win the World Tournament some eleven or so years ago. Championship gold now runs in the family as we saw young Gohan capture the World Junior Championship earlier today and earn his way into the adult ranks of the tournament, which at 11 years of age makes him the youngest competitor to compete on the World Tournament stage since his own father competed and set the record at 12 years of age some fifteen years ago. It seems all but a guarantee that this young fighting prodigy will one day capture the World Gold someday." the announcer energetically informed the crowd and they cheered in responce. 'Gee, I didn't know it was gonna be such a big deal, or that my dad was so young when he'd started.' thought Gohan as he blushed modestly.

"And as for Majunior, what introduction can give this... ehm? Uhhh... give this... uhh?" stammered the announcer as he looked at Piccolo questioningly. "Namek." stated Piccolo. "Right, Namekian powerhouse the credit he deserves? A World Tournament veteran, he was a finalist in the final match of the last World Martial Arts Tournament held eleven years ago where he was narrowly defeated by Goku in an epic match that leveled the entire arena and forced the temporary end to the tournaments. That's right folks, his very opponent here today is the son of the man who defeated him in the last tournament. But it's not only that fact that makes this match special, but that these two are in fact master and student! That's right, in case you didn't figure it out by their matching outfits but moments ago I was told that Majunior was young Gohan's first teacher in martial arts. It's amazing how many connections we can find between these two people, given that these two have already proven that they're nothing short of being superhuman as the speeds they can hurl each themselves at are mind blowingly ridiculous and should make for a spectacular battle." introduced the announcer as he then quickly dashed out of the way for what experience was telling him would be an incredibly powerful and hazardous contest.

"Wow! That announcer guy sure is right about one thing. This is going to be a terrific match." said Videl as she watched the match about to begin from next to Goku back at the fighter's waiting room. "I'm sorry but you're wrong. This match is already too much of a foregone conclusion. Gohan is just much too strong for Piccolo now with his new ascended powers. I'm sorry to say but this isn't a very good match after all." disheartedly said Tien. "I wouldn't be so sure Tien. This match is a lot closer than it might seem." cryptically said a confident looking Goku. Both Videl and Tien looked questioningly at Goku before returning to the ring.

"**READY**... **SET**...** YOU MAY BEEEEGGGIIIIINNN!**" cried the announcer, finally signaling the start of the match. However, both participates just stood still there, staring across at each other. "Gohan, I want no holding back in this fight from either of us. I want us to really see the difference in our powers." said Piccolo seriously. "Huh!? But Piccolo, if we were to do that you know that we'd end up exposing ourselves too much. And it's too early in the tournament, transforming in the first match right off the bat? If I transform now as the first one in then..." said Gohan, alarm bells sounding in his head. "It would be no different if someone else did it later on. With the way this tournament is lined up someone would eventually transform and we would get exposed anyway. It's almost an inevitability. We may as well do it now, enjoy ourselves and get it over with. Besides, we all talked about this earlier and we all agreed that we would fight our all no matter the risk to our lives. We're all willing to take that burden and we wouldn't blame you if you did it first." said Piccolo in too low a voice for the audience or the announcer to hear. The little speech worked and all of Gohan's apprehensions were gone as Gohan smiled back. "Right Piccolo, let's just enjoy this." said Gohan with a nod as the competitive "look" returned to his eyes. "Remember Gohan, don't hold back!" said Piccolo as he slid into a stance. "Alright!" replied Gohan as he slid into his own. At that point they both just fazed out and began their fight.

They collided in the middle of the ring with a thunderous concussion as Piccolo blocked Gohan's knee with his own knee. Three more concussions echoed out as Gohan and Piccolo connected simultanious blows with each other before the fight devolved into a flurry of fast action. The crowd was left with their mouths hanging open as the tournament was once again turning into a super powered slug fest beyond their imagination just like the Gohan/Videl fight previous.

Gohan was the first to push the flurry of action and Piccolo began to fall back as they fought across the ring making basically a half a lap around. But with Piccolo's far greater experience he was able to stay ahead of Gohan's moves and eventually turned the tables on him to where Piccolo was the one pushing and Gohan the one retreating. Piccolo started using his style of where he used intelligent moves with chops and kicks to try to pick apart or entrap his opponent with combinations.

But Gohan being as smart as he was and knowing Piccolo as long and as well as he did, managed to stay ahead of those moves and eventually caught one of Piccolo's arms under his armpit with both hands. Gohan then made to toss Piccolo overhead and onto the ring floor, but Piccolo was one step ahead as he hyper-extended his caught arm and while Gohan still held on, flipped right side up in midair and landed gently on his feet at the edge of the ring with Gohan still holding his extended arm. Piccolo began retracting his extended arm with Gohan attached while simultaniously moving forward with his free hand winding up for a punch. But Gohan met him halfway by using his grip on Piccolo's arm to lift his lower body to deliver a kick aimed at Piccolo's head. But Piccolo used his already leveled arm to block it and the two then went into an exchange of punches and kick that was so powerful that they began to levitate slowly up off the ground.

Their energy began to rise as they rose up off the ground and when they were a few feet off the ground they went for simultanious strikes and collided energies. Piccolo and Gohan were both pushed back by the force of their energies colliding but they landed while still keeping their footing even though the force dragged their feet a few inches. And so they stood there at a standstill, a standoff.

Both warriors stood at an even standoff as they evaluated and calculated their next moves. "Wow! Both Piccolo and Gohan look so evenly matched in power and speed even though they're not fighting at their full powers." remarked an amazed Videl as she watched from the Fighter's waiting room along with the other Z-Fighters. "Yeah, even though they're fighting each other seriously they're still pretty much just warming up and testing the waters with their powers. Piccolo's still not powered up and still wearing his weights while Gohan's still only in his normal form. The question is who's going to go to the next level first?" critically remarked Goku, standing next to Videl. "Wow! After a series of some incredible back and forth action it seems that Gohan and Majunior are evenly matched! Incredible! What comes next is anybodies guess." narrated to the crowd a highly excited ring announcer.

Meanwhile, back at the match. 'Man, I didn't think that Piccolo would give me this much trouble at this level. Piccolo hasn't powered up yet so he must be waiting for me to make the next move first. Well I guess I have no choice but to take it up a notch. This should be a little surprise for him.' thought Gohan as a tiny grin settled on his face as he then reached for the white collar of his uniform. "It seems that Gohan is attempting to remove part of his uniform. What could this mean folks?" again commented the announcer to the now highly anticipating audience. Gohan removed his white collar and threw it to the ring floor where it indented itself on the tiles, revealing it to be weighted clothing. "What!? You mean that Gohan's been training with weighted clothes? Why didn't he take them off when he was fighting me? Didn't he take me seriously? Did he think I was still too weak for them to be used against?" asked Videl, feeling very hurt and insulted to think that Gohan still was holding back on her. "No, that's not it Videl. Gohan was taking you very seriously, it's just that he didn't think it would effect enough speed to effect on the outcome of the match. I guess he figured that it wouldn't be something that you wouldn't overcome. It takes much more than just a little extra speed like that in order to win over such a strong willed opponent like you." wisely explained Goku and Videl felt pride as she realized that Gohan really hadn't gone easy on her, he'd just gone on with the tools that were necessary.

"Woah! Gohan has revealed that his clothing was weighted! This means that whatever speed you thought he had, you'd better buckle up for the ride!" shouted out the amazed and thrilled announcer. 'So, Gohan was wearing weighted clothing up til now huh? Well this should be interesting to see.' thought Piccolo with a smirk. "Alright Piccolo, let's see if you can keep up with this." said Gohan as he coiled up as if for the start of race shortly before he fazed out.

Piccolo barely managed to dodge with leaning his head back from the punch Gohan had thrown as he reappeared in front of him and the sweaty look of surprise was evident on Piccolo's face. Gohan continued to attack with an assault of punches that Piccolo had a hard time keeping up with. But finally Gohan caught him with a punch to the side of the head that sent Piccolo flying backwards. Gohan then fazed out and reappeared behind to intercept him with a kick that sent him high into the air and then followed that up by again fazing out and delivering a devastating double axe-handle blow to the back which sent Piccolo careening for the ring floor. But Piccolo managed to recover midair and skid to a halt in the ring. Piccolo then stood up straight and Gohan fazed in standing a few feet in front of Piccolo with a smirk on his face as Piccolo stared at him seriously.

"Sorry Gohan, but you're not going to win that easily." suddenly said Piccolo as he then flared his energy a bit. Gohan's eyes went wide as he realised that Piccolo was refering to. "How did you know? And how did you counter it?" asked Gohan with force behind his words. Gohan had just tried the same energy paralysing punch that had defeated Videl in order to beat Piccolo with his his last attack, but somehow it didn't work. "Quite simple really. I saw your little trick against Videl and I overheard you explaining it to her with my "rather good" hearing. When you hit me I immediately sensed the foreign energy in my system and disrupted it with my own energy." explained Piccolo with a smug smirk. 'Drats! I should've known that wouldn't work against someone like Piccolo. He's too experienced and too good to let something like that affect him. It's too bad, I was hoping that would catch him off guard and end the match for me quickly with that.' thought Gohan frustratingly.

It was then that Piccolo began taking off his cape and turban and throwing them to the ground where it came to make a larger indent than Gohan's had which stunned the audience. But then the audience began murmuring among themselves about how much they realised he looked like evil King Piccolo. The last time this happened Piccolo had snapped and revealed himself. But this time, although Piccolo could clearly hear them all with his great hearing and was annoyed at them, he let it slide. An although the crowds were puzzled, they still couldn't assume to his real identity and so they mostly just let it stand as physical resemblance alone. Piccolo then went to cracking his neck and wrists. "Alright Gohan, round 2!" said Piccolo before he fazed out and hit Gohan right in the face with a straight kick.

This time it was Gohan's turn to be sent flying, as by then Piccolo went and extended his arm and caught Gohan by the leg, to where he retracted his arm and taking Gohan with it! Gohan barely had time to rear his head back and duck to dodge the elbow meant for his head. Piccolo then threw him away which sent him flying across the ring until he finally recovered in midair and at that point both combatants fazed out one after the other

Concussion waves filled the skies as the two fighters traded blows until Gohan finally appeared in the middle of the air. He twisted his head every which way in search of his lost opponent until suddenly he was hit in the gut by a straight diving kick from above from Piccolo which sent him hurtling down to the ring. Gohan managed to land skiddingly on his feet while still clutching his stomach but with no visible damage done. 'Aw man, it looks like Piccolo's speed has gotten much faster at this level. It looks like there's no choice but to go to the next level! I guess Piccolo really wants us to go there. Well alright!' thought Gohan as he stared down a smug Piccolo. This fight was about to shift into the next level.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** So the **_**real**_** tournament is finally underway and Gohan and Piccolo are the ones to start it off. Talk about a way to kick things off. It's pretty even so far, Gohan attempted the same trick that he used to beat Videl, but the only reason that it worked against Videl was because of her still inexperience in energy use and couldn't detect the anomaly in her system in time. Now for someone of Piccolo's experience that becomes a different story. For anyone else at their type of level that move is useless, I hope that clears that up.**


	10. An Explosive First Match

**Chapter: 10**

_**:An Explosive First Match**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Gohan continued to stare down Piccolo as he began to transform, his yellow aura leaking out like a steam and his eyes turning teal green. The audience was hushed as everybody was wondering at what was happening now. Pretty soon Gohan began to scream. Low at first but then he screamed sharply as he powered up completely to Super Saiyan, his aura bursting solidly around over him and his hair turning golden simultaniously. As he stood there transformed the audience gasped at the development they'd just seen.

But pretty soon the realisation dawned on some of the crowd. "Hey, isn't that the kid who fought Cell." said one member of the crowd. "Yeah, I think it is! I thought I recognized him from before." said another as the crowds quickly began murmuring among themselves. 'Great, I was afraid this would happen... But I guess there's no helping it.' thought Gohan as he could hear what they were saying about him. "Don't worry about them Gohan. You should be more concerned on me and concentrate on the match." said Piccolo, either having read his mind or just knowing what he was thinking by the look on his face. Either way the message seemed to have worked as Gohan calmed down and refocused his attention back on Piccolo.

It was at this point that Piccolo placed himself in the horse riding stance and began his own powerup to his maximum. A powerful white aura appeared around Piccolo as he began screaming and the ground rumbled as bits and pieces of tile floor floated off the ground around them. When this tremendous display of power reached a crescendo then there was a large burst that occured and Piccolo just stood there at his maximum power with a chirping whitish blue aura around him. The two warriors now stood at a standstill glaring at each other at the height of their power and waiting for the cue to start the real fight.

Finally, at the drop of a hat the two super warriors lunged at each other with super speed and forearms connected creating a powerful reverberating concussion. They then disappeared as then many more reverberations began littering the skies at a higher frequency then before as the two fighters exchanged blows in their high powered states. "Wow... They're so fast..." commented Videl as she watched in amazement as they went at it at dizzying speeds. "Yeah, the are going at it pretty quick." said a smirking Goku. After a few minutes of the furious invisible cataphony in the air the two fighters started appearing and disappearing as one or the other would go in for a punch or kick and the other would faze out and try to counter the other. Pretty soon they started appearing and disappearing in furious combat along the ring floor kicking up dust as they went.

"Man, what are they doing out there? They're moving so fast I can't even tell who's winning or losing." said Videl who was frustrated and amazed at losing track of them. "It looks like they're checking their speed. They're looking to see who's faster in their form and so far it looks like they're evenly matched. No one can get the drop or the advantage on the other." said Goku, now looking serious as it seemed that his veteran eyes could keep up with the action. After a while of speeding along the ring floor, they finally they stopped in the middle of the ring and started just exchanching blows close up standing still. They then found themselves gripping each other with both their hands pushing against each other with their auras and powers corresponding around them, cracking the tiled floor.

"Now it looks like they're moving to a contest to see who's more powerful since the contest of speed was apparently a draw." commented Goku. The two powerhouses no strained to meet the other's challenge but after a while it was apparent to them that neither one would win the battle for power as they were evenly matched in that too. So both fighters went to end the deadlock with simultanious headbutts which knocked them both back and forced an end to the struggle. And there they stood back at square one staring at each other at another standstill.

"OH WOW! Can any of you believe these two fighters!? After "transforming" themselves before our very eyes and going into a mindblowing contest of high speed action that was even more intense than anything seen before previous, it seems that our two competitors are still equally matched as they once again stand facing each other in deadlock." commentated the excited announcer and the crowds cheered in responce to the excitement.

"Wow Piccolo, I can't believe how much stronger you are than before. I mean you're actually evenly matched with me in speed and power even as a fully powered Super Saiyan. I mean I knew you would have improved, but I didn't think you would be this much more powerful. What did you do in your training over this last year?" asked Gohan who was amazed and geniunely surprised but in a good way by his friend's and former teacher's progress. "I went into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for a second time and trained brutally hard during the whole year. That and plus I imagine that the sparring sessions I had with Goku while returning from space also helped out a bit. I also helped Videl in her training somewhat over the course of the year and those sessions also helped me out as well." explained Piccolo with a proud smirk.

"Well I guess that would explain it. I thought I noticed some of your style in some of Videl's moves when we fought earlier but I couldn't be sure. I thought it was just some of what I'd taught her but they were totally in places I didn't teach her to. Now I know where that came from. But I've gotta say that your training has produced amazing results. I bet your almost as strong as Cell was before he came back." complimented Gohan. "Thank you Gohan. And I must say that I've noticed that you've improved you're fighting technique and your battle instinct as well as your reaction time are much much sharper and faster than they were before. It looks like you really aren't the young naive boy I used to know, you've finally reached "OUR" level now." returned Piccolo. Piccolo meaning that Gohan was finally a truly experienced battle warrior like the rest of the Z-Fighters and not the young boy rookie he once was. "Thank you Piccolo. That means a lot coming from you. Let's continue with this match." said Gohan as he slid into his stance and Piccolo then got into his as they prepared for yet another round of fighting in what would become the deciding phase of the battle.

"Goku! They're so evenly matched in speed and power there's no end in sight. How are they going to decide the winner?" asked Videl to her defacto guide to the match, Goku. "Yeah, it looks like they're done with the speed and power phase of the match but it looks like they're about to move into the last realm of the fight." suggested Goku. "What are you talking about Goku? With their speed and power as it is I can't see any other way for them to move on into any other phase." said a confused Tien who was nearby. "You're wrong, there's one more element that your forgetting and unless I'm wrong it's what's going to decide this match." said Goku, turning a serious look at Tien. "Really? And that is?" called out a curious Tien.

"Their minds... The mind is often overlooked as a decisive element of fighting but there is nothing more important in a battle and even at this level. It looks like their both going to have to use their heads in order to out-tactic or outsmart the other and whoever wins the battle of the smarts is the one who'll win this match. It looks like they're about to engage in a battle of the minds." explained Goku. "But Goku, we all know how smart they both are. I mean Piccolo's the most intelligent fighter on our "team" and Gohan's like the smartest kid ever so a battle of wits isn't going to be easy for either of them." said a concerned sounding Yamcha. "You're right, and judging from the looks on their faces it looks like they both know it. This is going to be one interesting battle." said Goku as he went back to watching the match with a smirk on his face as the others turned in apprehension.

'Uhgh, Gohan is too strong and knows my fighting style too well for me to fight him head on. That would only result in a draw for both of us with our strengths and speeds the way it is. That means I'll just have to outsmart him somehow. That's not gonna be easy with this kid. He's so sharp and intelligent and experienced now, plus he knows pretty much all of my techniques, very tough to catch off guard. Great...' thought Piccolo as he tried to figure out his plan of attack. 'Man, Piccolo's gotten so strong now that fighting him head on will only result in a tie. I guess that means I'm gonna have to try and outsmart him somehow. A LOT more easier said than done. Piccolo is just so smart and calculating by nature, but there's no way around it. Except going to the next level but that wouldn't be fair the Piccolo. It would almost be cheating and I don't wanna cheat to win.' thought Gohan, thinking along similar lines about outsmarting his opponent as he too began preparing his plan of action.

Gohan was the first to start off as he shot two yellow beams at Piccolo one after the other. But Piccolo used his extending left arm to grab a large tile from the ground and lifted it up like a trapdoor by retracting his arm creating an effective wall for him. The pair of beams impacted the tiled wall and it protected Piccolo. Piccolo then started using his telekinesis and suddenly dozens of tiles seemed to rise up by themselves from all over the ring. Rising up like stone slabs. Piccolo then shot the closest one forward at Gohan almost at the speed of a bullet. But Gohan was fast enough to quickly avoid it by moving to the right side. But then to Gohan's horror the stone slab stopped on a dime at the edge of the ring and then reversed back at him at the same speed. But this time the stone slab seemed to hit a surprised loking Gohan, but the figure just hazed out of existence, an afterimage. Piccolo then spotted another Gohan further to the right and sent the adjacent tile at him. But it too proved to be an afterimage. Soon there were two Gohan afterimages, and then three, and then five. In pretty short order the whole ring was filled with Gohan afterimages being chased by white tile stone slabs as they played a game of human sized chess. It was like an outward physical expression of the game of chess they were playing with each other in this match.

But eventually, after playing this game for a while, things became sorta stuck in a pattern that way and Gohan decided it time to break out. He'd gotten him caught up in the game just like he'd planned and he used it to his advantage. The real Gohan fazed in behind the wall Piccolo was still using and appeared to the side of him in a surprising move with a kick leveled at Piccolo's head. Piccolo however, despite being caught by surprise managed to react to it and duck out of the way of the kick before grabbing Gohan's unprotected right arm and moving to slam him into the nextdoor tile. But Gohan saw the move coming and reversed it by planted his feet on the tile, which made it sink back into place on the ring floor and while him riding the tile like skateboarder. Gohan used the shift in momentum to grab and throw Piccolo into the air. Piccolo stopped himself in midair only to find Gohan firing a Masenko straight at him. Piccolo made to block it thinking it was going be easy, but Gohan reappeared next to him again and shot a straight kick which hit Piccolo but then Gohan moved out of the way as the still incoming beam hit Piccolo who had been thrown out of position. Piccolo fell down to the ring but recovered to land on his feet.

Piccolo spring boarded himself to shoot back at Gohan with a left haymaker punch lined up. But with the thunderous crack of a sonic boom Gohan blocked it. The move rattled him as it made his whole body shake, as it was the defence shattering sort of punch that Piccolo used, one powerful enough to shatter villains they'd encountered to atoms. But Gohan was sturdy enough that he recovered soon enough to send a counter-punch before he thought Piccolo would be ready.

But Piccolo managed to parry it to the side and then countered with a low kick to the left side. But as Gohan lifted his leg to check the kick, Piccolo then used his free arm, using his arm-extension techique to "roll" his arm like a whip to sweep up Gohan's last free leg. But Gohan leaped up by tucking his legs up making the arm sail clear. He then used his momentum and holding the arm he'd blocked earlier, coupled with his smaller size to attempt to kick Piccolo's head out. But Piccolo just threw his head to the side dodging the blow and Gohan went sailing back. But Gohan controlled his landing and landed on his feet and they stood back-to-back for a second. Gohan took the opportunity to try to back elbow Piccolo, but the crafty Namekian rapidly turned around and caught the blow with an open palm.

Gohan then turned around too and they both immediately went into a flurry of fist to fist action that were blurs too fast for the naked eye. But finally Gohan caught Piccolo with a straight punch to the gut that sent the namekian warrior skidding along the tiled floor. Piccolo planted his hands on the floor and stopped his skid. And then faster then barely a blur he tried to leg sweep Gohan but the young warrior leaped cleanly into the air clear of danger.

But Piccolo wasn't going to be outdone as he started gathering energy in his hands which was cupped up to his stomach. "**MAKOSEN-HA!**" screamed Piccolo as the powerful yellow blast then made it's way to airborn Gohan. But Gohan blocked it with both hands but he was strained to hold it in place. But Piccolo wasn't done as he put his one hand supported by the other to fire one of his signature Destruction Waves which sailed right next to Gohan and seemingly missing him completely. But the beam then turned it's course and headed for Gohan from behind. But Gohan saw it coming and let go of the blast he was already holding and rolled out of the way. Gohan watched as the two blasts collided and exploded harmlessly.

But Piccolo took the opportunity to faze out and floor Gohan down to the ring. Gohan however easily landed on feet and in retaliation he shot with two hands what looked like a small white energy ball that moved at high speed. Piccolo braced himself for the impact but it never came. Piccolo was confused and after a few seconds of waiting he peaked out to see the white ball hovering in front of him. Gohan smirked as he closed his open palm in a signal the "crush" and the ball exploded into a burst of light almost exactly like the Solar Flare technique only not as widespread. The move blinded Piccolo temporarily and Gohan used it to fly up hit Piccolo to send him to outside of the ring. But Piccolo managed to get back enough vision to see where he was and used his super extending arm to clamp onto the ring with his super extended nails and pull himself to safety. Gohan continued hovering above and watched tensely as Piccolo rubbed his still recovering eyes. Once Piccolo rubbed his eyes free he looked up and a tense staredown continued.

Meanwhile, back in the stands Bulma and Chi-Chi watched from above. "Wow! This match has really shifted into a war of wits. It's like a human game of chess! And I can't believe how well Gohan is doing. I mean I've always known that he's a pretty booksmart kid. But now he's actually holding his own against Piccolo in a tactical battle. In fact he's more than just holding his own. At this point he actually seems to be a step ahead." said an amazed Bulma next to Chi-Chi. "Well? What do you think I've just been making him study all this time? Math and Sciences? Come on Bulma you've got to give me more credit then that. For most of the last year I've been making him study tactical novels and martial arts books and making him learn strategy games in adition to his regular studies." proudly explained Chi-Chi. "Wow! You did that?" asked a befuddled Bulma. It semed so out of character for the Chi-Chi she knew. "Yup, when I learned that Gohan wanted to stay a fighter I decided that I was going to help him in any way I can. If he's going to be a fighter then I want to make him the best fighter possible. And a smart fighter is the most dangerous there is. And it looks like those efforts have paid off." said Chi-Chi as she looked down in pride at the unfolding fight.

"Well, that last technique was certainly a new one. What do call it?" asked Piccolo, curious as to the new move. "I call it the "Solar Flare Bomb". I was inspired by Vegeta's Blutz Wave Ball and by Tien's Solar flare." explained Gohan. "Impressive, that was quite surprising. But now the gloves are coming off. HAAAAH!" said Piccolo as he then went straight at Gohan.

Piccolo went on an offensive flurry, attacking Gohan with everything he had, but Gohan kept dodging and blocking. One punch that was aimed close to his heart was so powerful that Gohan barely held it when he caught it, and it unnerved him! Gohan then began being more counter-offensive and the two began fighting evenly as they circled around each other and rose to the clouds.

Once in the clouds Gohan thought he found an opening but when his punch went through, Piccolo split into two using his unique Multiform technique and the punch hit open air. Now Gohan had to fight two Piccolos and after a brief engagement he was force to disengage. But Piccolo wasn't finished with him yet as one Piccolo to the left put two fingers to his forehead with both hands. "**Double Special Beam Cannon!**" screamed Piccolo as then two of the notorious corkscrew beams went at Gohan. Gohan deflected both beams with both arms, but it was a distraction as the other Piccolo got behind him, hidden by the clouds and put Gohan in a full nelson position. The free Piccolo then went for an attack, but Gohan swung his captor forward and the attacking Piccolo hit his double instead. Gohan then used that to break off and streak back down to the ring while being pursued by the two Piccolos.

Once they reached the ring they began fighting again and Piccolo split off a third Multiform. Gohan fought valiantly but Piccolo continued to multiply himself until there were dozens and dozens of Piccolos surrounding Gohan, it seemed like there were a hundred of them. Now normally this wouldn't be too much of a problem as the technique was supposed to weaken the overall power levels by the number of Multiforms were used. But Gohan noticed that Piccolo seemed to have found a way to make his multiforms keep more then just half his power! And with that in mind the numbers were starting to take their toll on Gohan.

Eventually Gohan had to retreat to the relative safety of the air. But then, most of the "core" Piccolos began to fire Special Beam Cannons which Gohan had to desperately deflect or dodge. But the other Piccolos fired yellow balls of energy around Gohan and seemingly missing him. But when Gohan looked back he saw that he was surrounded by the balls of energy and even by some of the Special Beams earlier he had deflected. Gohan realised that this was Piccolos plan as he'd guided the balls into place and with an army of Piccolos waiting for him on the ground, and hundreds of balls waiting for him up above, he was trapped! The Piccolos then had all the balls and beams converge on Gohan and a massive explosion occured. Soon, the whole area was covered in smoke.

Everyone eagerly awaited for the smoke to dissipate from this brilliant attack. But when the smoke dissipated enough, it revealed Gohan! Still intact, and surrounded by a yellow energy shield that he'd used to protect himself just like Android 17 had once done! And apparently, _no one_ was more surprised of this than Piccolo himself! As all the Piccolos of the army on the ground, wore identical faces of shock!

Gohan used this moment of surprise to his advantage as he gathered the energy of his shield into his hands which he cupped above his head into a ball. "**MASENKO!**" screamed Gohan as the attack hit directly in the middle of the army Piccolos sending dozens of Piccolos flying into the air. Gohan then streaked right back into the middle of the fray to take on the shell shocked survivors.

But pretty soon the numbers began to tell again and Gohan found himself being swarmed, taking gashes and cuts all over himself and his clothes as the Piccolos piled on him like a football team on a loose football. But just when it looked like it was over, an enormous explosion of energy came from the center of the mass and flung all the Piccolos all over the place. Gohan emerged to be left standing but left panting from the daunting effort. Pretty shortly all the downed Piccolos faded away as it looked like Gohan had emerged victorious and he looked to relax a bit.

But then two Piccolos fazed in seemingly out of nowhere and one of them grabbed Gohan and put him in a full nelson which the weakened Gohan couldn't escape. "Piccolo!? You left out two of your Multiforms hidden just for this?" said a shocked Gohan, but he said it more as a statement. "That's right, I waited for you to wear yourself out and with that last attack you did just that. You fought very well Gohan, but now it's over." said the Piccolo in front of him who then prepared to give the coup de gras as he leveled his hands for his Destruction Wave. But then, just as he unleashed his attack, Gohan smirked in an eerie fashion.

Gohan then suddenly split off into two in Piccolo's own style of the Multiform technique and getting out of the grip of the Piccolo holding them. The Destruction Wave hit the offending Piccolo and the beam sent it into the wall of the arena where it faded away. Then the two doppelganger Gohans got behind the now all alone Piccolo. But Piccolo turned around and tried to use an upward double chop to hit the two Gohans at the shoulder area but they both caught it with one hand each. Piccolo was now caught as the doppelgangers held firm with vice-grip of their each, individual hands. But then, in a brilliant innovation, the two Gohans used their free arms to cup their hands together and complete a maneuver that was all too familiar. "**KAMEHAMEHAA!**" they shouted in unison and the familiar blue sphere appeared and then with forward motion the legendary wave hit Piccolo squarely in the stomach. The blast sent him flying and "pushed" him straight out of the ring and unconscious. The entire arena was speechless... the match was over.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** And so there's the fight between Gohan and Piccolo. I realise that Gohan never went Super Saiyan 2, but let's remember that, Gohan didn't really **_**need**_** to power up to beat Piccolo. He would find it a bit too much of an overkill. And remember that his objective in this fight was just to have a good time, and he held back accordingly. Plus as I already said, **_**HE DIDN'T REALLY NEED IT!**_

**Plus just I wanted to make the match more about, wanting to reflect more about a battle of smarts and strategic thinking as opposed to just plain power. As both Gohan and Piccolo are considered two of the smartest characters on the show. Gohan with his book smarts and high IQ, while Piccolo having his intelligence and experience and his well defined analytical character. I wanted for Gohan to somehow outsmart Piccolo a his own game as opposed to simply overpowering him which he could've easily done, and thereby showing his growth as a warrior and a tactician. But at the same time I wanted to show that these two were adequate powerhouses too. I hope you found my maneuvers to be strategic and epic enough for your tastes.**

**The ending was actually originally written as something different, but I got inspired by a move I saw in one of the ****Hybrid Theory**** series of fanfics by ****The Sh33p**** by the character Cell Junior. It was months after I'd written the initial chapter, but I went back and rewrote it. I hope you liked it, I thought it was innovative and cool enough and epic enough to cap off an awesome opening match. I wanted to really deliver a nuclear bomb of an opening match to the tournament and I hope that you found it to be a great enough match. But don't you worry, because so far **_**this**_** is _still_ just only the _appetizer_. I've still got **_**much**_** better to come. Hope you enjoyed.**

**P. S. And for anybody who wants to make more of an issue about power level this, or power level that... or that **_**that**_** character couldn't hang with **_**this**_** character because of their difference in power levels? Let me tell you something, if you haven't realised it yet, but I don't take the issue to **_**ever**_** mentioning the guys' power levels, because I only want to bring entertaining battles to the public. And FYI, in the show and in the manga, by this point in the story, they didn't **_**use**_** power levels to judge peoples powers anyway. Check it for yourselves! After the Frieza Saga, **_**no one**_** mentions an exact power level ever again.**

**Because A. The heroes on the show went to great lengths to show how that mode of thinking was wrong. Heck, Raditz himself was the prime example of the pitfalls of over-relying on reading a person's power level. And the whole fact of fighters, raising their power levels was the main antithesis for that whole concept. **_**That's**_** the entire **_**point**_** of that saga.**

**And B. The power levels by this point were so ridiculous that you **_**couldn't**_** even get to em' even if you tried! I mean, God! Even only Super Saiyan Goku and Metal Cooler from ****The Return of Cooler**** movie was billed in the official Japanese version as, quote "Billion Powered Warriors". Care to fathom how far they'd gotten to this point? I don't.**

**That's why I only reference the characters at **_**approximately**_** what they are relative to each other. Because in the show, that's just what they did! "This so and so is at a level higher than this character or that character." And that's basically the language of how the characters talked about peoples power levels at this point. They just felt what a characters power was with their senses and approximated it and that was that! And so that's just what I attempt to write it as. I stay a close to canon as I can, where I can.**

**So to whoever my anonymous reviewer is who keeps quoting power levels to me. I appreciate the fact that you're only trying to help me in your own way by showing me the better ways you feel I can make my stories. But, the whole issue with the power levels is just a mute point for me. As I've just listed several of the reasons why. So why don't you just sit down and shut up! And just enjoy the fights!**

**P. S. S. I apologize for the use of language just there, but that's just how I feel about it. It's just so aggravating to hear it again and again! So, sorry...**


	11. A Grudge Match, Future Gohan vs 17

**Chapter: 11**

_**:A Grudge Match**_

_**:Future Gohan vs Android 17**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

The crowds and the announcer were still speechless as the end of the mindbending match was over and the two Gohans stood victoriously panting with their arms still extended. "Uh... Um... The match is over! The match is over! What a brilliant and spectacular battle that was. And what a way to start to the tournament!" exclaimed the announcer and the crowd cheered in response. The victorious Gohans retracted their hands and then fused back into one. Gohan was left panting after the hard fought battle, powering down from Super Saiyan. Piccolo regained consciousness pretty fast and pulled himself up and walked up to his former student. "That was an incredible maneuver Gohan. You really caught me with that last move. It was an ingenious move. What do you call it?" questioned Piccolo. "I honestly don't know. It's something I just sorta came up with in the heat of the moment. You know? Necessity is the mother of invention? I guess I'll name it the Double Doppelganger Kamehameha technique?" said Gohan, feeling really bashful about his new technique. "I guess you finally learned the multiform from me did you? Well anyway it was well played. You really outsmarted me today. Kid, I guess that you've finally surpassed me in all areas. There's nothing more for me to teach you." said Piccolo fondly said as he put his hand on Gohan's head of hair. "Gee, Thanks Piccolo... But I could never have done it without your training. But you'll always be my teacher and no matter what I feel that I'll always be able to learn from you." said Gohan, tears welling in his eyes in happiness. "Hmph, well you got that right kid." said Piccolo as they then made to make their way to walk out.

"Man, I can't believe Gohan managed to win by actually witting Piccolo like that with that brilliant maneuver." said an amazed Yamcha, back in the Fighter's Lounge. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I mean we all knew that Gohan was pretty intelligent for a kid and all, but to put one over on Piccolo, that's just crazy. I mean the guy is so sharp and all. That was great use of the Multiform maneuver coupled with the Kamehameha." agreed Tien. Goku for his part was just chuckling. "Yeah, well it doesn't surprise me really. I always had faith in Gohan that he could fight pretty smartly and win. But I know what you mean. I didn't quite think that Gohan would win like that." said Goku looking proudly.

But just as Piccolo and Gohan were little over halfway across the ring, the announcer ran up and stuck a microphone in their face. "That was a spectacular battle guys! Care to give us a little interview about the fight? Or better yet tell us about that thing you did back there where you transformed and turned your hair blond and emitted yellow flame-like lights. I'm sure the audience and I would appreciate it if you'd tell us what's up with that." asked the announcer, the crowd cheering in agreement. Gohan was speechless, he didn't know what to say, either to lie, to ignore it and say no comment or to tell the truth and expose them. But just then Piccolo put a reassuring hand on Gohan's shoulder and nodded. :{Don't worry kid. I'll help you along using our mental link.}: telepathically spoke Piccolo and Gohan nodded affirmative in return.

"Well, I can tell you that it's a very special technique and that we call it 'Super Saiyan'. It's a very powerful power up that increases the energy levels, speed and power of the user several times over. It's sorta like a 'super-self' in a way. But only a select few with a special bloodline can unlock this special power through training." explained Gohan. Many of the audience went with Oooos and Aaaahs while many of Gohan's friends, especially in the audience were slapping their hands on their foreheads in dismay. "You said 'we', you mean that there are others like you? And can you elaborate on what a 'Saiyan' is?" asked the announcer. "Well yeah, there are others like me and in fact you'll probably get to see a few of them here later on in the tournament. But there are only a few of us, only about a half dozen or so. And I'm sorry but I can't say what a Saiyan is exactly, at least not yet. But rest assured that it's not something to worry about." further elaborated Gohan. The general public seemed satisfied with that answer. "Well that's good to hear. But thanks for the interview and the elaboration. But if you'll move on we'll continue with the next match. But anyway thanks for the spectacular match! We really appreciate it." the announcer said, ending the interview and letting Piccolo and Gohan move on back to the locker rooms with the cheer of the crowds at their backs.

Once Piccolo and Gohan made their way back to the lounge they found themselves being given a standing ovation by the rest of the Z-Fighters. "Way to go guys, that was a great fight!" congratulated Goku, standing at the forefront of the group clapping. Meanwhile, the 'normal' fighters just looked slack jawed and the 'other' fighters just seemed to either ignore them or seethe at them. Congratulations seemed to be going all round except for one individual, Tien. "Yes, yes it was an awesome fight and all but I was surprised that not only did Gohan transform into a Super Saiyan in the first match but he also actually told them about the Super Saiyan? Isn't that jumping the gun a little too early?" asked out loud Tien, looking strict with his arms crossed. Piccolo immediately came up to Gohan's defence. "I'm the one who messaged Gohan and told him what to say. Besides, didn't we agree at the start not to hold back the Super Saiyan transformation? The transformation would've reared its ugly head eventually with all of us competing. May as well get it over with at the start as it would be as good as anywhere else. At least this way the crowds will know what to look for without being scared of it in the rest of the matches. That and plus that bloodline explanation should cover it's true nature. I don't think the public is ready for that yet." explained Piccolo rather gruffly. "I-I didn't see it that way, sorry. That's pretty smart Piccolo, thanks for looking ahead." apologised Tien. Piccolo just waved him off, as if to say 'don't mind it'.

Meanwhile, while the others were talking and the stadium crew were replacing tiles and repairing the ring, Gohan noticed his older future self was watching and glaring at the two androids who were busy just hanging out by themselves. "You keeping an eye on the androids?" asked little Gohan. Future Gohan looked behind himself to see his younger self standing there looking serious at him. "Hmph, Yeah. I guess after everything I've gone through against those two I can't help but keep my eyes on them. Nobody else seems to really mind them. So if no one else will keep an eye on them then I will. After thirteen years of fighting them, I know all too well how twisted their minds can work." said Future Gohan, going back to glaring at the two androids as he said so. "Everyone knows about what you had to go through in your world and why you must feel the way you feel. But this is a different world and these aren't the same androids you fought. They're different..." said young Gohan.

"**Not in the ways that count!** YOU didn't have to see all our friends being killed off one by one by those two. You didn't see them reduce the world around you piece by piece for years. You didn't almost lose your life against them. As far as I'm concerned, YOU KNOW NOTHING!" angrily said Future Gohan, snapping at his younger self. And although he didn't actually shout it out, he might as well have. Young Gohan was taken aback and gasped. And then he looked down shamefully. "Sorry, your right, I didn't live through your experiences and I can only imagine what it must've been like." said Young Gohan, almost looking like he was about to cry. Future Gohan felt like a heel after catching up with what he'd done. "No, I'm sorry. It just came out. Look, whenever I see them, all I see is all the bad things I've seen them or their counterparts do. But maybe you're right, maybe they are different. Maybe I guess I'll have to remind myself of that when I fight them in the ring." said Future Gohan, loking more relaxed and optimistic. "Hey! That's right! Your fighting Android 17 in the next match. Well good luck with that. Just try not to kill him. This is still a tournament and I don't think you want to get disqualified." said Young Gohan cheerfully. They then shook hands and went their seperate ways.

"AAAAAAAAAALLLLLRight ladies and gentlemen! With the stadium ring now repaired we can get on with the next match!" declared the announcer as the crowd cheered. At that, both Android 17 and Future Gohan made their way to the entrance but a hand stopped Future Gohan by grabbing his shoulder. He looked back the see his father Goku looking at him with a worried expression. "Listen son. I know what this must mean to you with what happened in your world. But please, don't lose yourself and do anything 'extreme'. You've already gotten revenge on the Android 17 of you're world. You don't _need_ to seek it out a second time." adviced Goku, the message being clear. "I know dad, I'll try to keep myself contained. But however, when I'm out there I can't garantee how I'll feel. But I devinitely won't disqualify myself if that's what your worried about. But there _are_ some things that I just have to find out for myself." said Future Gohan as he then walked off with determination in his eyes.

Future Gohan made his way past the entrance and found himself standing in front of the kanji sign with the hated android next to him. "Took you long enough. Are you ready to do this thing?... You know, I was hoping to fight Goku in the tournament but I guess that you'll do. You look enough alike that I can hardly tell the difference." cockily joked Android 17. "_You... _Don't talk." practically snarled Future Gohan. "Ooooh, touchy guy. I'll have to keep that in mind." again bantered the android. They then both began making their way to the ring while keeping a constant look at each other with Android 17 constantly smirking cockily like he did and Future Gohan constantly frowning. The ring announcer began announcing them as they walked along the pathway.

"Though these two fighters are both newcomers to the ring they both registered 200+ on the the punching machine earlier today so you know that these two possess incredible fighting strength so that means incredible action is at a premium. We know very little about one of these fighters and even less about his opponent. Mr. Anonymous has chosen to withhold his name due to personal reasons but he has confided in me that he is in fact a member of the Son family. He is a member of a proud dynesty of championship gold as I'm sure I don't need to tell you audience. And though we don't know the exact nature of his relation to the Son family, judging by the family resemblance and familiar outfit we can guess that he's inherited the family fighting strength and I'm sure he's wanting to display that here today. His opponent Number 17 is in contrast a complete mystery. Other than his abnormal name and streetwise appearance we know nothing at all from this competitor. But, that does not hide the fact that he's a formidable looking opponent and as like with anything that's a mystery I'm sure surprises lay in store for his competition. Stay glued to your eyes for this one folks because anything is possible with this match!" excitedly introduced the announcer shortly before he chose to made himself scarce before announcing the start of the match.

"AAAAnnnd BEGIN!" the announcer shouted while chopping his hand down the middle to signal the official start of the match. But neither fighter seemed to move at this as they just continued to stare at one another. Android 17 then crossed his arms and blinked. "(Sigh) Honestly, despite what that foolish human said, both you and I both know that Goku doesn't have any relatives, either living or of this planet. So why don't you just save us all some trouble and just admit who you really are?" remarked 17. "Sorry, but if I wanted you to know that, I wouldn't've kept it from you would I? But I garantee that I'll make sure that _YOU_ remember who I am by the end of this match, _Android_." addressed Future Gohan with an angry tone that wasn't lost on Android 17. "What's that?... Well, it looks like I've got something to look forward to then. But in all honesty, I don't really care about who you are or aren't. I told you I want Goku and to have some fun at this tournament. But you look like you could be a decent test subject before I face Goku." said the ever confident android. "And just what makes you think you'll even get the chance to face Goku?" said Future Gohan cryptically in a dark manner that promised for dark things to come for the android. "Huuuh, guys? You can start now?" said the announcer deadpanned. But just as he talked, the two fighters got into their stances and then a shockwave erupted as they engaged and cutting off and jolting the surprised announcer.

Android 17 was the first to go on the offensive and swung his arm in a slow pitch like motion to launch a small yellow baseball sized ball of energy that Future Gohan tucked his legs in and leaped over to let it detonate harmlesssly on the ring floor. Future Gohan then rose into the air and quickly transformed into a Super Saiyan. "WHAT!? _THAT_ technique?" exclaimed a surprised and flabbergasted Android 17. "And WOAAAH! It looks like we have yet another "Super Saiyan" in our midst as our anonymous fighter just transformed into one right before our very eyes right at the outset of this match. It looks like he very much might be a member of the Son family clan." called out the excited announcer. 'HE can turn into _that_ "Super Saiyan" thing too? How can that be possible? Don't tell me he's actually a relative of Goku's? No! That's impossible!. . . Oh well, but that still doesn't mean I can't beat him.' thought 17 as he then determinedly jumped into the air and pursued his Super Saiyan opponent.

Future Gohan blocked a forearm from 17 with a chop of his own, that created a small shockwave and thereafter they started matching each other move for move and before they knew it they ended up fighting at a blistering pace in the air. Finally, Future Gohan connected with an uppercut kick to the chin that sent Android 17 flying backwards. As he fell through the air, Future Gohan went to pursue the downwards sailing android, but before he could reach him the slippery android fazed out. Future Gohan stopped in mid-rush and scanned the surroundings for his elusive prey. Suddenly, as he looked to his right a startled look of surprise adorned his face, and just before he could bring his arms up to block, a kick hit him straight in the side of the neck and he went sailing downwards. He disappeared in the clouds and shortly thereafter three successive shockwave ripples echoed among the clouds. And then Future Gohan and Android 17 both reappeared with the epicenter of their last shockwave dissipating in between them.

"Man, that last attack was stronger and faster then the last time you pulled it. You're definitely much stronger then I remember you to be. I guess what they said about you was true after all." complimented Future Gohan, although not noticing his slip up while they hung in the air. "What's that? How could you remember me? We've never met before! And how could you know about that attack? I've never even used it on anyone before! JUST WHO ARE YOU?" screamed a now very confused and frustrated Android 17. Future Gohan cursed under his breath at his little slip up, but then got back to the task at hand. "You wanna know who I am!? Fine I'll show you just soon enough. And then you'll realise just why you need to suffer _android_." said Future Gohan with as much contempt and anger as he could muster. That response chilled Android 17 to the bone, and although he didn't know why, he still braced himself for the worst.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** I apologize to my reviewer for my previous rude comments last chapter. I realize now that I probably shouldn't have said it in those terms, "Sit down and shut up". Heck, I even said sorry right afterwards already didn't I? But that was just my aggravation and annoyance acting up. I respect you guys a lot for even taking an **_**interest**_** in my stories. I just don't take criticism too well. And can you blame me? This is the first time doing this sort of thing. And plus I'm a very low-confident shut-in of a person in real life, but that's just me. I would make a lousy politician. Even if there aren't too many of good ones going around these days anyway. But my point still stands.**

**I realize that power levels are an important part of DBZ. It's a powerful gauge that helps us define who's stronger and who's weaker. But at some point I feel that just assigning someone a number to his or her fighting ability is just asking for trouble. At some point, I feel that it de-values the fight a bit. **_**There's more to fighting than just numbers**_**. I'm sure one character who was the father of a certain main protagonist we all know from the series would've said, or something or other like it... Or do you think that Dr. Gero's pitfalls isn't example enough? And I realize that ****Return of Cooler**** isn't actual Canon. But I was just using it as an example to illustrate part of my point. And it sure is faaaaar closer to Canon than any fanfic, sorry to say.**

**So like I said, it's just a moot point for me. I just don't want to have to argue the point again and again. I just don't want to hear it. I love Dragonball Z as much as any of you, if not more than some. That's why I'm writing this fic! But like I illustrated before, I feel that assigning numbers to the fighters just somehow losses some of the magic, the **_**mystery**_** of who's going the win in a fight. I find that the fights are just better when you don't automatically know who's stronger or the other. There's just more drama to the fights that way. That's why I don't bother. I just wanted to make fun exciting fights that I would've loved to have seen on the screen myself! I saw a few of the fights from Bleach, and I follow a whole lot of Naruto. And I just thought of bringing a bit of that emotionality, and counter-smarts and moves, back to the fights. Give the fights a bit of that old time magic back again. Or, at least I tried to, anyway. I'm just trying to capture the spirit of the series at the time with a little of my own added flavour. But like I said, all **_**this**_** is just my personal opinion.**

**And BTW, I already wrote all this months and even **_**years**_** ago. I have them all stored up and ready to go at a moments notice. I'm just touching up and editing them a bit before uploading. I could have the entire thing uploaded within a day if I really wanted to. I made sure to have had **_**everything**_** written up even **_**before**_** I started uploading. So don't tell me about changing a story that's already written. I just limit myself to a pair of chapters each day to gauge you guys, the readers, reactions as they come up. I'm sorry if you feel that I'm a jerk for it if you want to. But if you want me to upload them all in one go, you'll just have to ask me for it. Just say so!**

**Well, anyway, on with the chapter itself. That's the end of the fighting between Piccolo and Gohan. That whole explanation at the end was really unavoidable, they had to do something. The whole reason why I had the guys not agree to totally disband the Super Saiyan transformations at the start was to let myself give you the absolute best fights while still maintaining the guys' integrity. But really it would've eventually led to some sort of explanation, and where better than at the start. I hope you like the way I dodged the fact of the Super Saiyans being aliens. Now for my money, I think that the public wouldn't mind it if the transformations were just techniques, I think that their actual alien nature would be truly controversial among the populous. I mean don't get me wrong, I think that the DBZ universe Earth would be one of the most tolerate worlds to the idea, given that they're populated by anthropomorphic animals and all. Heck, they're not even adverse too much to the idea of aliens given the idea of the Intergalactic Tournament in movie ****Bojack Unbound****. But I think that them accepting that there are aliens that look like humans and they can transform like that would be still **_**highly**_** controversial even for them. So this way it's at least a stopgap to letting the audience enjoy the fights with at least knowing about that what they're seeing is super powerful without the taboo of it being aliens.**

**Anyway I hope you enjoy the fight between Future Gohan and Android 17. I think that the dialogue and the dilemma of Future Gohan's character in this fight is truly natural and what I think would've happened had the situation really turned out this way. So I hope you enjoyed.**


	12. Grudge Match concludes, 18's Proposal

**Chapter: 12**

_**:The Grudge Match concludes**_

_**:Android 18's Proposal**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Following Future Gohan's threatening declaration, the tension built for a few seconds as both fighters prepared to clash once again. Finally Future Gohan made his move and Android 17 countered by matching his move and they both collided in a powerful battle that blew away clouds with their shockwaves. They continued battling evenly for several seconds before finally Future Gohan connected with a straight punch to the cheek. He then followed that up with a double hammer fist that sent the android free falling straight down to the ring floor below. "Woah! It seems that one of the competitors has been knocked out of the clouds and we can finally see some action again! And from this vantage point it looks like the fighter in question is No. 17." commentated the announcer while looking up with a pair of binoculars.

Finally Android 17 got his wits about him again and managed to flip around in time to land on all fours in the middle of the ring. But as he looked up to get his bearings he found himself staring at his mysterious opponent fazing in in front of him with his hand leveled palm open at his face. 17 just stared frozen in place as if time had stopped and for few seconds they both just stood in that position like statues. Expecting to be blown away any second Android 17 was however surprised that his aforementioned opponent then just touched his head almost like a father to a son. Then suddenly, a load of images and memories flooded his head. He saw the images of a wrecked future, he saw things and felt the pain of losing precious friends and whole populations. And most importantly... he saw himself doing the destruction and laughing while he did it. He saw and felt _everything_!

But all this happened in only a flash in the outside world, as it seemed to the audience that a second or two had passed after Future Gohan touched his head, then Android 17 fell away clutching his head. "W-what... d-did you do to me?" asked 17 as he continued clutching his head. His mind having been so flooded with images in such a short time it was hard for his brain to process the information. "I just used a reverse mind reading technique. I once saw my dad read someone's mind that way and it took me years to learn it myself but basically I just did a reverse version and showed you some of my memories." explained Future Gohan, looking down at him with hard eyes. Android 17 stopped clutching his head and looked up at him, disbelief and realization suspended in widened eyes. "S-So what I saw was real? Those were all your memories?" asked 17, but it was more of a statement of what he knew was true. Future Gohan nodded. "Mmm hm. Now you can see why I hate you so much." he said. Android 17 looked away in shame as he let everything sink in and he now understood clearly what his brain had been told. Then suddenly he got up and faced Future Gohan with saddened eyes. "I never knew such pain and misery could exist. I never realised what other people were feeling and that my pursuit of fun could inflict such pain. I guess _HE_ never realized what pain his fun was inflicting on other people and just kept doing it." summed up 17, realizing what his counterpart had done and what he'd almost himself become had circumstances not been different. "Doesn't that make YOU the same too?" leveled Future Gohan. "... No! We are not the same! That other 17, he got exactly what he deserved in your world. But I won't turn into HIM anymore. I've become different now. I never killed or unnecessarily hurt any humans while looking for fun. And don't intend to ever do! I'm 17, and although I'll always look for fun, I will never hurt any humans to do it. I don't need to hurt to have fun, and I"ll never turn into that monster from your world!" proudly declared Android 17. Future Gohan couldn't help but smile with pride at seeing this change in the android.

"I can't tell you glad I am to hear that. But although I don't have any reason to kill you out of hate anymore. I still don't intend to let you win here today." said Future Gohan as he slid into a fighting position. "I wouldn't ask you to. And although I've turned over a new leaf of sorts. I still don't intend to lose. This fight is still too much fun to stop." said 17 as he too slunk into a stance. Meanwhile, the announcer and the audience were left speechless. As they had no idea what they'd been talking about. "For one of the first times... I don't know what to say." weakly spoke the announcer. Some in the crowds nodded in agreement as they gawked. But they didn't have long to gawk as the two warriors were at each other again in quick succession.

What followed was near ten minutes of non-stop continuous action in which both participants fought equally matched. At the end of the ten minutes they both found themselves where they were at one knee in exhaustion staring at each other with determined grins. "You know? I never expected for this fight to end up being this fun. But as much fun as it's been, what say it's time that we ended it?" suggested 17. "You know? I'm in total agreement. But I'm going to finally wrap this up." declared Future Gohan decisively. They both charged one more time and in the ensuing flash Future Gohan finally caught Android 17 with something and finished the fight. The android was flown out of bounds giving the future warrior the victory.

"INcredible! What a move! The mystery fighter is victorious in a surprising move." announced the announcer. The crowds went from hanging their jaws to going wild. At that, Future Gohan went to give a hand to the fallen android. "What was that? You just suddenly got me like that?" asked Android 17 as he made his way up with the help of a hand. "You fought very well, but sorry to say I was holding back on you up until the end. You see I wanted to see what level you were at so I matched you with my strength. You didn't disappoint and you were stronger than I thought you'd be but I couldn't let the fight continue anymore so I used some of my real power to end it there." explained Future Gohan. Although feeling a bit shafted by being held back on, Android 17 took the answer with a light heart. "Well... Then I guess I have to thank you for the good match and a fun time. Catch ya later, and good luck with the rest of the tournament." thanked 17, walking away and flashing a two fingered salute.

When Future Gohan got back to the Fighter's Lounge he was greeted by many congradulations. "Congradulations son! You made me so proud by what you did back there. Just the way you handled yourself and everything." condradulated Goku. "Thanks... Dad." nervously replied Future Gohan. He looked down to his counterpart to see that he was giving him an approving smile. "It seemed like you got a whole lot more power up at the end? What was up with that?" asked Yamcha as he swung his arm around Future Gohan. "Well... I sorta took that fight to see how strong the "old" me was compared to 17 so I fought at around the same power level that I was at the last time I fought him in my world. So I let the fight drag on that way, but I got what I wanted to find out and so then I used my real power to finish it. I'm actually much stronger then I used te be because I've been training to get stronger the way Trunks said my younger self did. I might be almost as strong as him as a Super Saiyan." explained Future Gohan. "Well, it looks like you'll be having your work cut out for you after all Gohan." said Yamcha, addressing the younger one. At that both Gohans looked at each other with fiery eyes of challenge in them.

"Sooo next up, can 18 and Krillin please come to the ring?" the announcer excitingly broadcast, announcing the next match. "Great, now it's my turn! Now I'll have to face 18!" exclaimed Krillin, sounding both terrified and saddened at the same time. "Don't worry Krillin, just go out there and do your best." Gohan obliviously supported, slapping Krillin in the back. Krillin screamed and then grabbed his back at the sore spot. "Thanks for the support Gohan..." Krillin sarcastically said as he started walking his lonely mile to the ring rubbing his sore back. But meanwhile, Android 18 was having her own apprehensions. "Don't worry sis. You've got this one in the bag." said 17, thinking that he knew her well enough to know that she was planning on actually fighting him. Little did he or anyone know of the turmoil that was raging within her. As much as she tried to denie it, the little bald man had grown on her. And wether or not she would decide to stomp him into the ground for the tournament or ask him for something "else" was entirely up to her.

Krillin had walked an apprehensious lonely mile up to the ring and pretty soon after so did she. Both of them ignoring the announcer as he made their introductions to the crowd. Unbeknowst to either of them, their thoughts had both been wrapped in doubts about themselves and of the other as they walked that lonely mile. Finally, they were standing in the ring facing each other, cold nervous sweat dripping from both of them. Krillin tried to look as intense as he could, trying to look like he was concentrating on the match but that was hard with the intense blush that betrayed his real feelings. 18 looked solid still as she looked at him with what looked like an impassive look of question. As if she was trying to hide herself with her impassiveness but not being able to conceal it. 'Oh great... She's standing right here in front of me. This is really happening! Why did I have to meet up with her here? In the World Martial Arts Tournament of all places? Why couldn't I just bump into her at a romantic restaurant or someplace?' Krillin despairingly asked himself in his mind.

"Annnnnnnd! Now you may begin!" signalled the announcer for the match to start, but nothing happened. They both just stood there. "I have just one thing to say to you... Why?" asked 18 suddenly. Krillin couldn't believe his ears as he'd prepared himself to get a pummeling from the cold android but instead he'd gotten a question. "Uh uh uh? What!?" asked the befuddled Krillin. "When you destroyed that controller and again when you asked the Eternal Dragon to remove my detonator... Why? I know that you said that you did it because you liked me but really? Why me? Why do you like _me_?" reinterated 18, saying that last line with averting her eyes. Saying that line with more insecurity and more vulnerability than he'd ever think he'd heard from her or ever thought possible for it to even exist in her. Krillin gulped as he realised at that moment that not only could his answer affect his relationship life, but also that if he'd reject her it could be more devastating to her psyche than anything else in the world. "I did it because ever since you gave me that kiss on that highway, my mind couldn't get rid of you. You see, for the longest time I didn't have any luck with women. I didn't even register on any of their radar. I mean who would want to date a short little bald man right? I thought that I was destined to die alone. But then you happened and you gave me that kiss. I'd never been kissed like that before. It plagued my mind! But then when I'd learned that you'd been turned into an android from a human I thought that that was so sad. To be such a beautiful girl and be burdened with a life that wasn't her choice or her fault. I wished to save you from that world and so I decided to try to save you in time so that one day I could help you. But I guess neither of us get's what they want huh? Well, I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't think I just like you, I think somehow I've... fallen in love with you." Krillin said, elaborating on pouring his heart out to her.

Finally, at the end of Krillin's long explanation did 18 look at him. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard and the shock on her face was inescapable. 'I... I can't believe... He really...' thought 18, not getting her mind to wrap around this piece of information. "If you don't like me back then that's fine with me. You can pummel me all you want right here if you hate me. But just tell me!" Krillin exclaimed, daring it all. 18 just went back to her neutral blank expression and turned away, not wanting to show her emotion. But finally it came. "So? Do you want to go out on a date?" she asked. "Huh?" Krillin replied, absolutely dumbfounded. "Do you want to go out together yes or no?" she asked again, sticking to the same monotone voice as usual. "Huh? Me? Of course I do! But why?" exclaimed Krillin, feeling the like the happiest guy in the world but curious as to why she would. "Well, you said that you loved me didn't you? Well, I guess I pity a pathetic little guy like you too much. And I guess even you deserve a little reward for what you did for me." she said smiling sweetly at him, or at least sweetly for 18. "Well okay, works for me. I'll take anything I can get." said Krillin, grinning bashfully and rubbing his hand behind his head in what was typical of his best friend's family. "You wanna get out of here? With those freaks you call friends neither of us would win in the end and this match is a forgone conclusion so what do you say we ditch the tournament? That date sounds just about as good a thing to do as anything." suggested 18. "You got me in!" exclaimed Krillin as they both just lifted off heading out of the tournament stadium.

"HEY WAIT! WHAT ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT?" screamed the announcer as the pair slowly drifted off into the air. "Yeah sis!? What are you doing!?" questioned Android 17 himself as he ran to the field. 18 just sent a wink at her brother and pretty soon they were above shouting range. "So while we're at it. Why don't we talk about your hair?... " said 18 as they vanished off into the sky. "Well... I guess that was an unexpected end to the match. Although they may be disqualified from the tournament for leaving the grounds, but let me assure you that I don't think that anyone here can say that either of them "lost" here today. We wish them both a happy evening. But now that that's done let's get on with the next match." declared the announcer, moving on.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, I hope you enjoyed the match between Future Gohan and Android 17. I thought it would make for a really good match, but in the end I think I only managed to give a plain old good match. I hope you enjoyed that little mindmeld moment with Android 17 and his sorta redemption. I really think that it shows the difference between the Android 17 who helped destroy the future world and the "good" version of the present. I really enjoyed writing that.**

**The other thing I **_**really**_** enjoyed writing was the "match" between Android 18 and Krillin. In the original scene that inspired it, 18 actually proposed to Krillin in the ****Hybrid Theory**** series. But I thought that that was too extreme for Android 18 to just come out out of the woodwork and just propose like that. So I went with something a bit lower key and just have her ask him out on a date. That and I think it really needed to be as much of an emotional scene as I could describe, and I really think that the aforementioned reasons that I used are the real reasons for why each of them eventually fell in love with each other. I really liked exploring that. And so they went on their date and the rest is history so to speak. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	13. The weaklings are weeded out

**Chapter: 13**

_**:The matches continue**_

_**:The weaklings are weeded out**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Chiaotzu was pacing back and forth in his floating way as his match drew near. He was nervous because he was going to have to be the first one to test their mysterious opponent. It was nerve wracking since they didn't even know his power. For all they knew he could be just a pushover and he only looks intimidating or maybe he was a new enemy with powers they couldn't even imagine. Now Chiaotzu may not be the most powerful of warriors but he was experienced enough a Z-Fighter to know that if he was going to get his ass kicked then so be it but going into a battle like this totally blind was nerve wracking in any respect.

"Come on Chiaotzu. Try to be positive. Maybe he'll be just a weakling that you can beat easily." reassuringly said Tien at his long time partner. His words didn't reassure him much, because for whatever it may be, Chiaotzu couldn't shake the feeling that his opponent genuinely was dangerous. Just looking into those eyes hidden by the cloak was enough to send shivers down his spine. But win or lose, he would make sure that they know either way which one he is.

Sure enough, he soon found himself starring down the mysterious fighter in the middle of the ring. His friends cheering support and pats on the back as he'd left for the ring floor seemed like little comfort now. "In this corner we have a familiar face to these tournaments. Chiaotzu is a former quarter-finalist at the World Martial Arts Tournament and two time competitor, falling just short in the preliminary round of the last tournament. He's a former student of the formerly world renowned Crane School of Martial Arts and also a very close friend and training partner of former champion Tien Shinhan. He'll no doubt be a formidable competitor. But let's hope things go better for him this time." introduced the announcer. The crowd laughed a bit at his last joke. 'You and me both.' silently prayed Chiaotzu to himself. "Aaaaaannnnd in the other corner we have a not so familiar face. In fact we've never even SEEN his face yet. Let's give it up for the mysterious Fighter X!" continued the announcer, the crowd reacted in mixed reaction. Some cheered for the mysterious mystique that he exuded and some others booed him for not showing who he really is and therefore a coward. But the mysterious figure didn't even bat an eye at this reaction, like he didn't care at all.

"Well, it's put up or shut up. Either way, we'll find out if this guy is really worth worrying about or not." gruffly said Piccolo as he, Goku, Tien and the rest of the Z-Fighters observed with steely gazes. 'I might be going down swinging. But no matter what we'll know wether this guy is a danger or not.' thought Chiaotzu as he steeled his resolve and prepared for battle. He may end up as just a sacrificial lamb, but it was one that he was more than willing to make for his friends.

"Aaaaaaannnnd NOW! You may begin!" declared the announcer as he brought the proverbial hammer down. The match didn't last long. As soon as the words had escaped the announcer guy's lips. Faster than anyone could've predicted, the mysterious figure fazed out into thin air and knocked out Chiatzu with a swift chop to the back of the neck before the little warrior even knew what happened. This surprised everyone as even the Z-Fighters had trouble recognising his speed. The mysterious figure leaded over his little victim as if the examine his "kill". Either it was to check if he was okay or to check if he was still alive.

But either way, the figures' hooded visage turned to the Z-Fighters direction and he seemed look dead on at Gohan. A pair of eyes peaked out from the shadowy hood directly at Gohan as if to say 'Come on, it's you I want!' at the young Saiyan. Piccolo and Goku seemed to pick up on this. And after the match he mysterious figure walked back through the Fighters' Lounge and past the Z-Fighters in rude silence. It was as if he was challenging them and in particular he brushed past young Gohan in particular rudeness, not missing a chance to share heated glances as he went by the young warrior. "What is that guy's problem?" heatedly asked Yamcha. "I don't know. But either way it doesn't matter. This confirms our suspicions about wether or not this guy is strong enough." Piccolo gruffly said, matter-of-factly. "Yeah? Well he should feel luck that he doesn't get to face me until the finals. Otherwise I would make him pay for what he did to Chiaotzu." angrily steamed Tien. "I think that would be unwise of you Tien. This guy was fast enough to cause trouble for myself and even the Saiyans to follow so it's a safe assumption that he's strong enough to present a challenge to us too. I don't think you would have what it takes to take him down either way. Just count yourself as lucky that he didn't do worse to Chiaotzu because he definitely could've. But he obviously doesn't want Chiaotzu. He wants Gohan." stated Piccolo, laying out the situation. Tien wanted to reply to that but he couldn't. His fists and even his whole body was shaking in protest. "Don't worry Tien. I'll make sure to beat him up for ya. For Chiaotzu." declared young Gohan. Tien accepted this and then went off to check on Chiaotzu who'd been carried off to the infirmary. "And so because of the disqualifications of the previous match, Fighter X will be advancing directly to the semi-finals." announced the announcer, much to some in the crowds' displeasure.

The next match featured a fight between Trunks and the self-proclaimed "ladies man" Jewel. The match was highly exciting for the women folk of the audience as for them it was a battle between the two "heartthrobs" of the tournament. However, needless to say the match didn't last long as Trunks easily disposed of his cocky and arrogant opponent much to the disappointment of many the female crowd. However, following that match was announced the match between Vegeta and Pintar.

The two fighters made their way out to the ring. But just as they made their way through the entrance, the large man pushed passed Vegeta very rudely in a deliberate manner. "Hey! Why don't you watch your step you big oaf!" said the very annoyed Vegeta. "Oh? I'm sorry I didn't see you down there. I'm surprised that you've stayed this long little man. I was worried I'd end up beating myself into a pulp. But now that you're here I guess you'll do just fine. You know, I asked my assistant to call and reserve you a private room at the hospital. Heh heh. You'll thank me." taunted the massive Pintar as he arrogantly rotated his arms next to Vegeta. "Sounds like fun. But just I wonder which one of us will be filling that hospital bed." replied Vegeta, brushing it off with his own arrogant humour.

The two fighters then started moving down the walkway to the ring. "We now have both fighters entering the ring! Pintar's fierce fighting in a variety of tournament proved he has stamina. He may have fallen short in his last showing, but it looks like he's back to change his luck on the grandest stage of them all. Vegeta on the other hand is a total mystery. There's no record of his accomplishments but earlier today he blew away the specially designed Punching Maching with one punch! But that proves he is a fierce conpetitor and has ridiculous strength. But does he have the skills to back it up against Pintar? We're about to find out!" introduced the announcer. 'Oh? You'll most definitely see, my pityful human friend.' thought Vegeta, smirking to himself and promising bad intensions. Once they were on stage, the massive man began thumping his chest in arrogant fashion as a show. "Now there's a lot of talk down here on the floor about fairness in regards to the size difference of our competitors. Let me just say this is a compitition where size truly does not matter folks." reassured the announcer guy. "You can believe... what he's saying... if you want to. But I tell you this. Your gonna definitely think size matters when I'm done with you." arrogantly taunted Pintar as he paused between thunks of his chest. 'I'm going to have to take it easy on this weakling human. I don't want to cause him any more brain damage.' thought annoyedly Vegeta.

"Now let the battle begin!" declared the announcer. That's when the large man screamed as if going into an attack and then he flipped away and began just flipping around the ring, which was impressive for a man his size. Vegeta just watched the display with an annoying tick on his forehead. Wanting to know when this little farce would end. The massive man then landed back in front of Vegeta back where he'd started his little calisthenics display. "He he heh. I told you size matters little man. You must be ready to forfeit the match heh? Run home like a little girl?" again taunted Pintar, thinking that he'd proven his point. "Please, _you_! Don't talk." replied a definitely not inpressed and definitely annoyed Vegeta. "Heheheheh! Sticks and stones may break my bones but _you_ can never hurt _me_. And just to prove to you that I'm right I'm going to give you the first punch shorty. Right here in the gut. Come on. _NOW_!" dared the massive man as he protuded his massive gut. That was the biggest mistake of his life as Vegeta needed little more encouragement and his predatory grin highlighted it.

Vegeta buried his fist in a vicious gut punch to the massive arabian. (Think to the gut punch he delivered to PuiPui in the anime.) He followed this with a series of quick easy punches to the head and gut. (Again like the ones he gave PuiPui.) Then finished it off with a standing kick that sent Pintar flying out of the ring. (Again just the one PuiPui suffered in the anime.) "Out of the ring! Pintar has landed outside of the ring which makes Vegeta the winner!" declared the announcer guy. The crowds were stunned at what they percieved as an upset. But then they shook it off and cheered in massive response as Vegeta left with a simple 'humph!'. "Well, that's my husband for ya. He never knows how to hang back." muttered an embarrassed Bulma, back in the crowd.

"That Vegeta is sure going places in this tournament. I'm almost afraid for anyone that has to contend with him in the ring. But NOW! Let's get the next match rolling. Goku against Spopovitch. Would the two fighters please come to the ring?" declared the announcer guy. "Well, looks like I'm up." said Goku, doing some trademark stretching before going out the entrance. "You go get 'em dad!" enthusiastically cheered young Gohan. "Tch, of course he's going to get him. Kakarot got a lucky break and is facing a weakling for an opponent." muttered Vegeta, mostly to himself. Unfortunately for him he didn't speak quietly enough for Piccolo not to hear him. "Excuse me? But weren't you the one who got the last weakling before Goku?" Piccolo shot back. Vegeta just piped down as he had no argument for that.

In the meantime, Goku came out to the cheers of the crowd while Spopovitch his opponent followed. "Goku is quite the accomplished fighter. It's an absolute pleasure to see him back in the ring. He is a former champion at this tournament. In fact he is the last man to win the World Martial Arts Tournament almost a dozen years ago. And unless I miss my guess, since there hasn't been a tournament since then and Hercule didn't qualify for today to be the official championship holder. Then I believe technically that makes Goku the official defending champion for this tournament!" declared the announcer guy, as he also checked behind him to see if his superiors, the judges agreed with him. They sent him affirmative nods proving him correct in his ruling. Most of the crowd, even though they were mostly unaware of his accomplishments, nonetheless cheered for Goku since it they respected him. But still, some others who were more ignorant and the extreme Hercule faithful who booed the decision. "There's no other World Champion but Mr. Satan!" booed one particular heckler. "And with that being said, his accomplishments in the ring are legendary. But it's been some years ago since he won the World Tournament and it's been some time since he's made any appearance at any martial arts function and so it's possible he's worn off over the years. But he doesn't look it judging from the shape he's in today, so I guess we'll just have to see." finished introducing the announcer. 'Are you kidding!? There's no way Goku let himself slip.' collectively thought most of the Z-Fighters. "By contrast his opponent Spopovitch is making his first appearance at the tournament. He's a former professional wrestler turned martial artist and in qualifying for this tournament he scored an impressive 102 on the punching machine. He's got amazing power and he's strongly favored to possibly win the tournament. He looks buffed up and ready for action. I'm sure he'll be a mighty challenge for the former champion." said the announcer as he finished his introductions.

Both Goku and Spopovitch now both stood in the ring. (Basically Spopovitch's still at his pre-Majin stage so he still looks just like he did in the flashbacks in the anime.) "Too bad for you you've got to face me in your first match. I wouldn't want to be facing me if I was this weak. But then at least you'll get beaten by a former champion right?" said Goku, trying to be upbeat and cheerful about it as usual, but Spopovitch however heard it differently. "Weak huh? I'll show you!" Spopovitch angrily shouted back. "And you may begin!" declared the announcer and as soon as he'd spoken those words then Spopovitch attacked wildly like a dog unleashed from it's kennel. Spopovitch's movements were wide and clumsy and Goku easily dodged gracefully out of the way without even using any super-human speed. Spopovitch eventually overcommited to one move and ended up laying flat on the ground. (Basically the whole sequence is just like the one Mr. Satan gave Spopovitch in their match in the anime.) "Man! And I was hoping for a better fight than this. I mean I knew you weren't very strong but didn't know you were _this_ weak to be that clumsy. I think it's about time I finished this before you embarrass yourself more." said Goku. "_You_! Why I'll show YOU!" screamed Spopovitch as he got up for another reckless attack but Goku just got quickly behind him and kicked him out and Spopovitch went sailing clumsily out of the ring. "Well folks, there's no more to it then that. Spopovitch is clearly out of the ring which makes Goku the winner. And he looks as great as he ever was which is bad news for anyone who's looking to challenge him as this years' champion." declared the announcer.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** And so the tournament moves on through the losers fights. For Chiaotzu I really wanted to bring out the sacrificial lamb sorta scene shortly before I brought out the quick losse. I think that it really brings out the true heroic character in Chiaotzu that even though knowing that he might be just sacrificing himself to an all powerful but unknown enemy, he still did it. Even though it was originally just meant for the match to be the introduction to get a glimpse of how ruthless and how dangerous my mystery man figure is. But I think I managed to give Chiaotzu at least a little spot to shine as a character.**

**And the writing for Vegeta taking Krillin's place in fighting Pintar was just fun and satisfying to write. Admit it, the switching of Vegeta and Krillin makes sense since they both have their stature issues. Krillin much more so than Vegeta admittedly so, but still, I think it works. I just loved writing the banter and that's why I decided to make the fight what it is. It was muc more for it's comedic value than anything else. I hope you liked the little change.**

**And as for Goku and Spopovitch, I needed to give Goku at least **_**something**_** of an opponent and I think Spopovitch did the trick. I took the fight from the flashback in the anime since I think that that's mostly how Goku would've really handled a guy like Spopovitch if he was un-powered like he is here and the fight would've gone the same way. But I also think that the dynamics worked for my dialogue changes for Goku. What did you guys think? I hope you enjoyed.**


	14. A battle of Old Veterans, Yamcha vs Tien

**Chapter: 14**

_**:A battle of Old Veterans**_

_**:Yamcha vs Tien**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

"Aaaannnnnd on with the next match. This match should prove to be very interesting, as it pits two powerful finalists in the old world tournaments against each other. It's a match of ring veterans as Yamcha takes on Tien!" announced the announcer and the crowds cheered wildly at this. "Well, I guess this is it." said Yamcha, sounding almost resigned as he looked out at Tien as they readied to step out. "Yeah, it's our turn now." said Tien, as he said it almost as a farewell to a friend before stepping out into the breach. "You go get 'em guys. Good luck out there, to both of you." cheered Goku, along with the blessing of the other Z-Fighters. "Let's go." simply said Yamcha, as he and Tien nodded in acknowledgement before both stepping out into the figurative breach.

Yamcha and Tien made their way to the ring side-by-side but in silent strength as they marched to the sound of the crowd. "These two fighters have both proven themselves to be quite prolific at these tournaments. Yamcha is a three time quarter-finalist, having participated in the 21st, 22nd and 23rd Tournaments and is a student of the renowned Turtle Hermit School of Martial Arts of which both Krillin and former champion Goku are members. And although he may have fallen short in each three matches he was a part of, they were all nonetheless impressive showings. In fact this is not the first time these two warriors have met. In the 22nd Tournament, these two warriors clashed in an explosive contest that went back and forth. Yamcha may have lost in the end in what was probably his best match of all his showings at the tournaments, but the match could've gone either way. Tien went on win the championship in that very tournament by a narrow margin, in an epic contest against Goku in the final match. Tien would then go on to lose in a classic rematch against Goku in the semi-finals of the 23rd Tournament. It's been over fifteen years since they fought their match and nearly a dozen since we last saw them compete. They've both likely been training hard these past years as despite their older age, they look to be in even better physical condition then they ever have been before. Which means this contest is likely to be an epic as you can expect ten times the power, ten times the speed and twenty times the excitement." the announcer elaborated while introducing them. "Those young men, I think I've seen them somewhere before?" said one random old man in the crowd. "Yeah, me too!" agreed a young man in the seat in front of the old man.

Goku along with most of the older hands of the Z-Fighters just looked on smugly. 'Boy, you have no idea how much those two have gone through in those years since then. Their power levels have gone up stratospherically. This is going to be a good fight.' thought Goku along with most of the other older Z-Fighters, except for Vegeta who seemed pretty disinterested in a couple of "weakling fighters" fighting. But for the younger fighters, like Gohan and Videl, hearing about the history of a couple of "old timers", was very much eye opening. "Wow, I never knew Yamcha and Tien had had such history." muttered Gohan, along with Videl who was accompanying him, she too agreed with nod as she had her jaw hanging open. But for those who truly knew the two from the early days, knew that this match was a special one and had been a long time coming.

Once they both came into the ring, Yamcha and Tien just silently stood like statues looking dead serious at one another. Not willing to give an inch of the bubbling emotions buried beneath. Things were about to get serious and they both knew it. Yamcha thought about how, ever since Tien had proven himself stronger then him at the World Martial Arts Tournament, he had been at the lagging back end of their group of friends, behind Tien. It had been the best match of his life and he'd just come up short. He would've placed much higher in the tournament and maybe in the right circumstances he might've won it. But then Tien changed all that and he was relegated to the lower end of talent amount their group of friends, it just one became disappointment after another. But things were different now, he had _changed_, the _incident_ almost a year earlier had made him much much stronger now and in this match against Tien he was ready to prove himself to their friends. And although despite all the comradeship they'd managed to form over the years, there was always a rivalry buried underneath and now with this situation, things were now going to boil to a head.

"Tien... ever since you beat me, I never really got to pay you back. So you'll have to forgive me if I _really_ don't hold back on you." finally spoke Yamcha. Although cryptically worded, the meaning had been made clear and the message had been understood. "Not at all. You go straight ahead. In fact I wouldn't want it any other way. But just because you deserve it doesn't mean I'm going to let you win. I've got my pride too you know?" said Tien. "Then what do you say we give these people a good show?" requested Yamcha. "Sure, no problem." agreed Tien. "Aaaannnnnd NOW! You may begin!" declared the announcer with a chop. And so with that the action began.

The two fighters got into their preferred stances, Yamcha with the standard Wolf-Fangs Fist stance (Like the one he opens with in the Raging Blast and Tenkaichi games.) and Tien with his classic Crane Style stance (Like the one he liked to use in the 22nd Tournament.) before both fighters quickly charged at each other and came to grips with one another. They engaged in a fast and furious melee of punches, blocks and counters while matching perfectly to each others styles. Tien's more straight forward style of fighting matching Yamcha's more unorthodox and stylized Wolf-style of fighting matching each other move-for-move, step-for-step. It showed just how familiar they were with each others styles and how wisened they are in martial arts movesets. To say the least it was a fascinating display in so far as the actual martial arts movements and counters were concerned to the more veteran eyes of the older Z-Fighters and even more so for the younger fighters who'd never seen such high level style-vs-style intelligent fighting at such high speeds before.

But then the fight picked up a bit as Yamcha and Tien both suddenly seemed to disappear and then reappeared several feet above from where they were still locked in their furious melee in midair. They did this several more times, disappearing and reappearing at different spots every few seconds. At least it seemed that way to the audience. To the Z-Fighters it was more than slow enough to keep up with. After a while both Yamcha's and Tiens' auras started to creep in ever so steadily, as they started getting more and more intense into each other. Finally the tension had to break and they both broke apart and landed perfectly in the ring. They let their auras dissipate after they landed and they stood looking down at each. A perfect standoff between the two.

'Tien's just as strong as ever. No, he's even stronger. Just what I'd expect.' thought Yamcha as he sized up his opponent. 'Yamcha's speed and technique even at his base level have all improved drastically.' remarked Tien in his own mind. Twin smirks appeared on the faces of both Tien and Yamcha as they were enjoying the moment. "Looking good Tien." casually remarked the smirking Yamcha. "Looking good Yamcha." returned Tien in the same tone. "Wowowow just wow! Who would've thought that these fighters would've brought us _this_! This battle looks _intense_ right from the beginning." commentated the announcer guy. And although it didn't look it, but most people would be surprised to learn that both fighters were still in the "feeling out" process. Still trying to test each other out and check for any slipping point. But to the Z-Fighters it was plain and obvious.

After about half a minute of just standing around, the two warriors finally charged at each other again. But this time when they met in the middle they just gripped with each other's hands and locked horns with each other. They began just pushing against each other in a test of brute strength and willpower. The clenched teeth and strained looks on each of their faces was evident. It became to the point that their white auras began to manifest themselves once again as they strained to out muscle the other. But finally it was Tien who made one last effort and with a mighty yell he pushed Yamcha away.

The extra push had been so sudden and sharp that Yamcha was sent flying. But he soon recovered and backflipped away. He did a few more backflips before he landed near the edge of the ring and promptly fazed out while Tien almost immediately followed. Pretty soon afterwards there followed three concussive shockwaves in the air overhead and then Yamcha reappeared in the ring with Tien holding onto him with a full nelson position from the back. Yamcha somehow managed to reverse the position and ended up with holding Tien's arm behind his back. But Tien on his turn promptly turned the position and ended with holding the arm from behind while one of his own arms held around Yamcha's throat in a choke hold position for added pressure. But Yamcha turned the tables again with holding Tien in a sorta reverse bearhug position.

They continued to reverse holds on each other a few more times until they found themselves leaning on each other while standing and holding themselves against each other. (It's basically the same position you see amateur wrestlers do when they're grapling with each other.) Tien was on top position but he couldn't get any leverage. They both started manifesting their auras once again as they started trying to push and overpower their opponent again. Finally the power they generated finallty broke them apart in a bursts of white aura. They both landed opposite each other at another standstill. For the young Z-Fighters who were watching, it was truly a thrilling contest as they'd never seen such veteran moves such as grappling and grappling reversals like that. It was truly speaking to how amazing such veterans as them were and how much they should be respected.

'Tien's tough as ever. Clearly fighting like this isn't going to make any headway. He's got the advantage as far as strength and toughness at this level. He's been at or close to this level a heck of a lot longer than I have. Looks like I'll have to take things up a notch and try some of the fancy moves to try to knock him off.' deliberated Yamcha in his head. 'Neither of us are going to make much headway at this rate.' thought Tien simultaniously. "Hey Tien! I hope you don't mind if I lead off and take things up a notch?" almost casually joked Yamcha as he got into his trademark Wolf-Fang Fists attack. "Not at all. You go right ahead!" practically shouted Tien, daring the attack.

Yamcha launched into a rendition of his famous Wolf-Fang Fists attack. But Tien met the fierce attack with fierce fists of his own and the two combatants engaged in a fierce action of blurs. Though although Tien was mostly on the defensive and being pushed back a bit by the fierce fists, he was nonetheless blocking or dodging all of the attacks. Tien noticed that much of the needless movement from before was gone and that the attacks were much much faster and stronger then they were before, as that it came from Yamcha's growth. But the attack patterns were still basically the same as they were all those years before and very predictable. Eventually he found himself comfortable enough to give a swift kick to Yamcha's noticeably unprotected legs. The move that Kami had taken advantage of while in the guise of Hero at the 23rd Tournament. It was the fatal flaw of Yamcha's style and Tien hoped to take advantage of the noted weakness. But he was surprised to see his leg get checked and blocked by Yamcha's leg almost automatically.

"What? But did you think I would leave my legs unprotected again? Sorry but I won't be making that mistake again." taunted Yamcha as their hands locked up with each other and they temporarily paused in position. Tien just smirked in reply and then swiftly kneed Yamcha in the gut with his formerly blocked leg. Yamcha gagged and was staggered before Tien gave a powerful swinging double axe-handle punch to the jaw that sent Yamcha skidding across the floor. "Whoa! A crushing blow sends Yamcha reeling. Will he be able to recover?" the announcer play-by-played. After stopping to skid Yamcha got back up but still clenched his stomach as he waited for it to recover. "Did you really think that move would work on me?" admonished Tien. "Ugh! Come on, I was just checking to see if you were paying attention." countered Yamcha, an uncharacteristic smirk adorning his lips. "Paying attention? For what?" questioned the now confused and slightly intrigued Tien.

"For... _THIS_!" shouted Yamcha as he suddenly charged into another Wolf-Fangs Fist attack, but this one was different. This one had a completely new attack pattern that was stronger, faster and with smoother technique than before. Tien was really hard pressed and he couldn't block all of the attacks. Finally Yamcha went for the final blow as he pulled back his clawed hands to the sides of his waist and it appeared that twin wolfs heads were generated from his hands. (Think like Hinata from Naruto Shippuden's Gentle Step: Twin Lions Fist technique from the manga except with wolfs heads.) "**Double Wolf's-Fangs Fist Attack!**" shouted out Yamcha as he named his attack. The attack hit Tien straight in the midsection and blasted him away.

"Whoa! a new powerful new move has caused a lot of damage to contestant Tien Shinhan. Could this be the end for him?" again commentated the announcer guy. Tien got up after getting laid out from the damaging attack surprised and bewildered. "Wha...What was that!?" asked the shocked and confused Tien, eyes widened in shock. "Come on. You didn't think that after all these years I wouldn't come up with a newer version of my Wolf's Fangs Fist attack? I'm insulted! You just got a taste of my new attack, the Double Wolf-Fangs Fist! I just did my earlier attack to set up for this one. See if it would truly catch you off guard." announced Yamcha. Tien just smiled at that, still clutching at his slightly burnt bare chest. "Hmmm, I see. I've got to hand it to you Yamcha. That was quite the impressive attack. You really got me with it good." complimented Tien. "Why thank you Tien." returned Yamcha. "But now it's about time _I_ take things up a notch with my own new technique." threatened Tien as his eyes grew dark and he began powering up for his terrible new technique.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well it's Yamcha vs Tien in the last match of the 1st round. Yamcha's powered up with some new tricks and Tien's also no slouch as he's bringing his own new tricks to the table. It's a battle between two old friends and former rivals as well as two old time vets of the tournaments and the series as old feelings and new come to a head as they fight for the right to finally face Goku. The stakes couldn't be any higher for those two. Not much else can be said other than that. Hope you enjoy.**


	15. Who is the Strongest Human?

**Chapter: 15**

_**:Who is the Strongest Human?**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Tien began building up power for his new technique to turn the tables on Yamcha. "It looks like Tien is threatening with a new unseen technique of his own. Will this be the move to clinch the match?" commentated the announcer guy. Finally two new arms grew out of his back. "What? That's your new technique? But we've seen that one before?" questioned Yamcha. "I'm not done yet!" screamed Tien as he went back to powering up. Next he began to seperate using his famed Multiform technique and pretty soon there were two Tiens with four arms. Yamcha blinked in astonishment at the new variation combining the two older techniques. "Now there's a new spin on an old classic." muttered Master Roshi from up in the stands. "Amazing! Tien has not only split himself into two seperate people, but has also generated two extra arms for each! Both techniques have been shown here at the tournament before, but never combined like _this_! This doesn't bode well for Yamcha." declared the amazed announcer guy.

"Th-that's new." nervously mumbled a bewildered Yamcha. Both Tiens just smiked at Yamcha's stunned look. "I hope you're ready. 'Cause here it comes!" yelled out one of the Tiens as they came out and rushed him. They fought with hands as fast as blurs as Yamcha defended himself from the eight limbs. Although Yamcha was holding his own being in the middle between the constantly flanking Tiens. The four limbs being expertly used by each Tien was making it impossible to block all of the attacks. That and plus they were much faster and stronger than he would've factored into their "Multiform effect". And so eventually Yamcha was being worn away as one extra limb kept penetrating his defense. Finally it came to the point where an opening was made and the Tiens overwhelmed him, wailing away in a barrage of punches and kicks.

Yamcha was eventually knocked away several feet. He got back up while sporting several new bruises. "What was that? Even with the extra limbs you shouldn't've been able to overwhelm me like that due to your Multiform technique's dividing of your power. You should be at half strength but your not? So what gives?" noticed Yamcha. "You're right, under normal circumstances by your estimation I shouldn't. But I've improved the technique thanks to Cell. Although I can't make them at full power like _he_ did. But I _can_ make them about a third or a fourth more powerful than they were before. It may only be a relative fraction in comparison, but the power difference is more than enough." explained one of the Tiens before they once again rushed at him.

Once again Yamcha gave out a brave but futile fight as the Tiens once again overwhelmed his defence. Twin fists buried themselves into his gut, as Yamcha then slank down to his knees, clutching his stomach and sporting new additional bruises. He looked up to find the two Tiens towering over him, eeriely reminiscent of their fight all those years ago. 'That's right this is just like that time!' thought Yamcha as he flashbacked to that fight and how when the momentum shifted at that moment back then, he never got it back, neither in the fight nor in life. "Come on Yamcha, you're outmatched now and you can't win. Why don't you give up?" said Tien and although he knew that chances were that Yamcha wasn't going to take it. He couldn't help but try to save him from what he considered to be more punishment. "No way, I won't let you win like you did last time. I won't give up like I did then. The last time you beat me because you turned the tables on me and I couldn't answer back back then. But I won't let you outstrip me anymore!" defiantly said Yamcha. "Yamcha, I'm truly sorry for your bad luck since. And though I wouldn't admit it back then, but that fight we had all those years ago was much closer than I thought it was. You could've beaten me back then if you wanted to. But your own weakness since then is nothing but your own fault. Don't blame me for your own shortcomings." shot back Tien.

Yamcha's eyes were shadowed at this. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it really was my fault and I slacked off on training since then. But that doesn't mean I can't make up for all that. Starting now with _THIS_!" shouted Yamcha as he determinedly got back on his feet and started charging up energy in his right hand. Pretty soon Yamcha unleashed a familiar bright yellow orb about the size of Goku's original Spirit Bomb. "The Super Spirit Ball huh? What makes you think this'll work on us? I mean I've already seen this attack." mockingly chided one of the Tiens. "Why don't you shut up and watch okay?!" yelled out a freakishly annoyed Yamcha. He then launched the ball and it did what it typically did. Maneuver all over the place with Yamcha directing it and the opposition trying to dodge it. But with two Tiens as the targets they found it relatively easy to dodge it. They even batted it away a few times but the ball was always controlled and directed back expertly by Yamcha. Finally, when the two Tiens were maneuvered into position nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. That was the time Yamcha chose to strike and unveiled his "little" surprise. The ball split into two and the two Tiens got stunned by the sudden move. Yamcha rapidly maneuvered the twin balls and hit them each in the side of the head and they both went knocking into each other in a "meeting of the minds"-like move. "What... the heck... was that..." muttered one of the Tiens as they slumped down. "**Double Super Spirit Ball Attack!**" declared Yamcha, announcing the name of his new attack.

The two Tiens were slumped down on the floor of the ring one on top of the other and soon the one on top faded and was absorbed into the one under. Tien then got up soon afterwards, still attached to his extra arms however. "I've still got my extra arms. I have the advantage!" called out a ticked off Tien. "Yeah? Well eight arms didn't get it done for you so what makes you think that four will do you any better?" shot back Yamcha. "Watch and see." shortly replied Tien. Yamcha then went into the ever familiar cupped hands stance of the Kamehameha attack while Tien cocked back all four arms while gathering yellow energy in each. "**Kamehameha!**" shortly screamed out Yamcha, launching medium sized version of the familiar blue trail attack. "**Four-Hands Beam! HAAAAA!**" simultaniously replied Tien as he shot forward all four arms with palms open and shooting off four identical beams of yellow energy. (Basically it's the one handed blast that we've seen Tien use before only it's with four arms.) The yellow beams all merged into one powerful beam and that beam collided with Yamcha's Kamehameha blast. The two beams struggled with each other at an even standing, dazzling the audience. But eventually the beams detonated, having cancelled each other out. Both Yamcha and Tien were thrown back to their respective edges of the ring by the recall of the detonation. Fortunately because of the small scale power of the beams and the excellent control of the two fighters, the blast was contained to the middle of the ring.

Both Yamcha and Tien got up while casting back glares at each other. Yamcha got back to his feet and then got into his new Double Wolf's-Fang Fist stance. While Tien got back to his feet and went into a stance where he had all four arms cocked back with their hands in the shape of claws. They then launched themselves at each other as Wolf-Fang Fist met Four Arms Technique. And just when they finally were about come to grips, they vanished and went into combat faster than the normal eye can see. Concussions rippled in the air all over the arena, frightening many in the audience as some of the shockwaves got almost too close and causing some audience members to duck. A testament to the awesome intensity of their fighting. And although the speeds were relatively slow for the eyes of the Z-Fighters, but even to their eyes watching in full detail the beauty and the intensity of four fists against Wolf-Fang was an impressive sight.

Finally they reappeared high up from the stadium where Yamcha tried a diving straight kick to Tien's back but only for the three eyed warrior to faze out and defy Yamcha's attack. Yamcha looked around a few times in desperate searching when his eyes widened in panic when he finally senses him. Tien reappeared several feet above and to the left holding both sets of arms in the familiar triangle position, energy already crackling and ready to fire. "**Double Tri-Beam!**" screamed out Tien as he launched the deadly double attack. Yamcha barely managed to dodge and the attack was fortunately directed out to sea where it created a HUGE geyser. Yamcha was paralyzed by the severity of the attack and so wasn't prepared when Tien came around to fire a second volley. Yamcha didn't catch it in time and so automatically covered himself and braced himself for the inevitable. But it never came and so he opened one eye peered, only to find Tien locked in the same position but not firing.

"What gives Tien? You could've won it there?" questioned an obviously confused Yamcha. Tien retracted his arms and looked sorrowfully away. "If I had fired, then "they" would've been hit in the crossfire." said Tien, gesturing his head to pointing below. Yamcha looked down and indeed if Tien had fired his attack, then the angle of attack would've been directly on a part of the audience down below. And with Tien's wide birth of an attack that would've left a big square imprint where many innocent people would've been in addition to Yamcha himself. "Heh, good call Tien. But why don't we bring this one back down to ground level for now? For safety's sake?" suggested Yamcha. Tien nodded in agreement and they both began to float down rapidly to the ring.

"And it appears that both contestants are coming back to the ring!" declared the announcer. Both Yamcha and Tien landed pretty evenly in the ring. "Well Yamcha? What do you say if we just drop the posturing and just go at it at full power? I'll get rid of my arms and you promise not to use your Wolf's-Fang Fist. We just crank our power levels to the max. Winner gets Goku." amically suggested Tien, like one sportsman to another. "Okay, you're on! I'm game!" quickly replied Yamcha, not giving it a second thought. Both Yamcha and Tien got those competitive grins on at the prospect of the goal at the end. While it wasn't outrightly stated, but among the Z-Fighters a match against Goku was THE prospective gold medal of their group. It was the one plateau that they all secretly wanted to reach again. Tien was salivating for another rematch but had already gotten his second shot, in fact he was the only one the ever fight Goku twice, both as a child and as an adult. Yamcha wanted that rematch too, in fact he was the VERY FIRST ONE to seriously fight Goku and if he won today he would be only the second person to fight him as a child and as an adult. But although neither of them were delusional about actually beating Goku, the chance for the honor itself was overwhelming.

Tien retracted his extra arms and Yamcha reverted to a standing stance. They both powered out their white auras to the max and then went at it. A new round of shockwaves and concussions that were faster and more powerful than before as the two experienced fighters gave it their all. The sounds and pressure of the shockwaves were pounding to the audience. After a few minutes of this pounding display, two streaks of white suddenly appeared streaking towards each other. They collided with one another in the middle of the distorted chaos. Both Yamcha and Tien recoiled and landed in the middle of the ring. They crouched to one knee and were panting, visibly sweating and looking a little worse for wear from their latest escapades. Going at full power for so long was taking it's toll. They were both now starting to reach in deep and getting down to the nitty-gritty. And they both knew it.

'Man, Yamcha's a whole heck of a lot better than I anticipated. We're almost evenly matched even at this stage. I never thought that he would be able to keep up with me at _this_ level.' thought Tien as he panted for breath a little. "*Pant*... Sorry to have to do this to ya Tien. I was hoping on saving this for later. I didn't want to reveal it until I was facing Goku. But as things stand I guess I have no choice. **Kaioken!**" yelled out Yamcha as suddenly his body became enwrapped in the familiar flaming red aura. "What!? Yamcha can do the Kaioken attack?" stammered out a blown over Goku, as well as voicing out the extreme surprise of the Z-Fighters who weren't already in the know. "That's it! That's where I know that young man from! He's the Hero from East City!" exclaimed the old man from the crowd. That began a mass murmuring among the crowd about the identity of their previously unknown fighter. "Hero of East City?" questioned Goku, his sharper than average ears having heard the man in the crowd.

But meanwhile, Yamcha was laying a thrashing on Tien. Faster than Tien could respond, Yamcha streaked in and kicked him into the air. Yamcha followed up in a streak of red trail while giving off the distinctive sound of the Kaioken attack. Soon Tien was beset by numerous attacks by Yamcha as he streaked by all around him. From above, below, to the sides and any other direction you could think of. Finally Yamcha finished things off by streaking higher above from the skyward facing Tien, who was floating chest up with his arms and legs dangling downwards almost helplessly. And Yamcha came back down streaking at full force with both arms extended forward and delivering a double punch to the gut.

Tien went crashing into the ring floor at high speed, leaving a great dust cloud from his impact. Yamcha landed several feet away looking serious. Tien emerged from the dust cloud holding his rib while crouching at one knee. "Well Tien, it looks like you're at your limit." stated Yamcha. "Maybe *Grunt* but I'm not out yet. It's a shame, but like you too I was saving this for Goku. But I guess my hand has been forced. **Kaioken!**" screamed Tien, surprisingly revealing the same flaming red aura. "What!? Tien too?" exclaimed Goku. Yamcha barely had time to reactivate his Kaioken and catch the incoming punch from above at the wrist. Then the two red covered warriors simply vanished from view. Red blurps of bursts of red aura, like red sparks in the air seemed to replace the traditional air concussions as the two warriors clashed with Kaioken powered bodies. Never before had two warriors each with Kaioken powers ever been seen clashing with each other. For the Z-Fighters, it was a special occasion to behold. "**Kaioken x2!**" was heard the twin voices of Tien and Yamcha shouting out in the middle of the invisible conflagration. The clashs picked up in speed and only the most powerful of the Z-Fighters could actually follow the action.

Eventually the two streaking auras reappeared one more time high in the air before streaking to one another and colliding in a thunderous sound. Yamcha and Tien both parted and landed back down in the middle of the ring. Yamcha looked none the worse for wear as he stood tall, but Tien sweating profusely while barely holding all three eyes open and panting heavily while again holding his ribs. Both were out of Kaioken mode. "That's it... I'm done." finally admitted Tien. "Yeah, I'll say. You're body can't handle the Kaioken times 2." outrightly stated Yamcha, matter-of-factly. "Yeah, *Groans* I'd never completed it after leaving King Kai's. But I rededicated myself to finishing it after seeing your example in East City. But my body is still only Human and it's still so new that my body still can't handle it like yours can. I had hoped that using it as a surprise it might've given me an edge. But apparently it didn't work quite enough." explained Tien. "Yeah, but you did well anyway Tien. But it looks like this time, I'm facing Goku." said Yamcha to his friend. "Yeah, I give up. I can't continue. You win Yamcha." finally surrendered Tien. The announcer picked up his hanging jaw and pulled his senses back together. "WOW! What an ending to a stupendous battle! Tien has conceded the match and making Yamcha the winner! If memory serves than this is the first victory in his illustrious career on the main stage. It looks like he's finally broken the fist round jinx that had followed him ever since he began competing and it is over his long time rival and friend Tien Shinhan nonetheless. Let's give these great warriors both a rousing round of applause!" yelled out the excited and emotional announcer. The audience gave a thunderous standing ovation as Yamcha waved and sucked it in. Even Tien couldn't help but smile as he too was proud of his friend. Even if had to come at his expense he guessed Yamcha deserved it more than him.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, there you have it, Yamcha wins his rematch with Tien after all these years of being under his thumb in the overall power rankings. Yamcha is one of my favorite characters on the show so I hope you don't mind if I'm pushing him in this series. But I hope you guys don't think that I'm not giving Tien any undue credit, I think I still gave him relatively enough credit and fleshed him out as much as I could still.**

**I really loved writing this fight and I really wanted to make something special with this match even though the two characters are reltively not that strong. I wanted to deliver as epic a match as I could with those two. And I think I managed to deliver a real good see-saw type of matchup with technique after technique coming in and against each other and countering each other. I think that I managed to deliver a real epic match in the end. And I think that the powers are all believably realistic in that they could've developped them at this juncture in their lives. They all seem to be natural evolutions of their already famous techniques and I really wanted to reflect that. That the fact that they haven't been sitting on their asses until The Cell Games, but that they've been really hard at work and developped new stronger or doubled versions of their techniques. I hope you enjoyed this battle between two long time favorites.**


	16. Gohan vs Future Gohan

**Chapter: 16**

_**:Gohan vs Future Gohan**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Yamcha came back from the rapturous applause of the crowd to the heartfelt applause of his friends back at the Fighters Lounge. Followed shortly thereafter by Tien. "That was an amazing match Yamcha. We're all proud of you both." congratulated Goku with a slap to the shoulder. "Hmph, for a couple of weaklings I must admit you managed to give out a decently entertaining little show. It would be good enough to be a warm up act." chided Vegeta. Although Yamcha and Tien both had to growl through clenched teeth at those insulting remarks. They all knew that it was just Vegeta's way of giving his grudging respect. Tien and Yamcha soon replaced those growls with grins. "Now? Will you explain to me this whole East City thing?" interjected Goku with his question of his own. "Maybe later Goku." cryptically brushed off Yamcha with a mysterious grin.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, we will be holding a short fifteen minute break to give our repair crews a chance to patch up the stadium ring and to give our fighters a chance to catch a break before the start of the quarter-finals round." declared the announcer. The fighters in the Fighter's Lounge all began to relax themselves a little and began to intermingle and chat a little. But meanwhile, the young Gohan had noticed that his future counterpart had conveniently disappeared from the proceedings. He took it upon himself to look for him while everyone else was doing other things. And although they seemed like they didn't notice, some like Goku and Piccolo knew exactly what was happening but knowingly kept their noses out and only pretended not to notice.

Pretty soon, young Gohan found his future counterpart leaning his arms over some railings while overlooking the ring from up top of the stadium behind the crowds. "What are you doing up here?" asked young Gohan, though he already suspected what the reason probably was. "*sigh* To think... Trying to just drink all this in. This arena, this tournament, just this whole different timeline thing! I gotta admit I'm sorta jealous of you kid." said Future Gohan as he turned back and started leaning on the railing on his back. "You!? Jealous of ME!?" exclaimed young Gohan incredulously. "Yes, jealous... You see you've got this whole new timeline where things have turned out so differently. Everyone's alive and well, the world is at peace, you're even stronger than me than I was when I was fighting the Androids and you're even the hero who saved everyone in the end. You've even got a girl that you're in love with!" said Future Gohan. The young Gohan blushed at that last remark. "You... you can tell that!" exclaimed young Gohan bashfully. "Don't worry, it's prettyobvious to everyone. Buuuut I guess you're not being all THAT obvious. I guess I would just be able to read you better than others anyway. I am a different version of _you_ afterall." said Future Gohan with a knowing smirk. "Heheh, yeah I guess you would have that advantage. But you shouldn't be jealous of me! If anything I'm the one who's jealous of you!" responded young Gohan. "What!? How so?" asked a flummoxed Future Gohan.

"Well... You fought alone against the Androids for so long and so heroically. You're the one who protected and inspired Trunks who came to our timeline. And therefore _your_ efforts are what led to our timeline being saved. It's all because of YOU! That and plus just look at you! You've grown up to become just like our father. The way you dress and the way you act! You're just like I want to grow up to be like." admitted young Gohan. Future Gohan was shocked! Shocked that the younger version of himself would not only like what he'd become, but look _so_ much _up_ to him. "Heh, I guess I did try to model myself a bit too much after him. Bulma kept saying that she thought I was just like him. But coming from you I guess it really drives it home." said Future Gohan, looking down in fondness. "Though I know I probably won't grow up to be _you_, what with the way the my timeline has changed and all. But I really would like to grow up to be something like you." admitted you Gohan. "Heh, I guess what they say is right. 'The grass is always greener on the other side' Or so they say." said Future Gohan with a smile. Young Gohan reflected that smile as they seemed to say to each other in their own hidden language 'that everything was okay that after they'd confessed their deepest feelings to each other and that they were equals in the end.'

{Ding Dong} sounded the bell from the stadium intercom. "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen. But the break will soon be over and the fights will recommence in one minute. Please would anybody left out please return to your seats. Thank you." came the announcer's voice over the intercom. "Well, I guess this is it for us." said young Gohan. "Yeah, what say we give them a real show." smirkingly returned Future Gohan. "Yeah, let's." simply returned young Gohan and them they made to make way back to the Fighter's Lounge. "Hey, what kept ya?" chuckled Goku as they arrived back. Joking as if he didn't already know why which both Gohans suspected he did. "Just getting to know one another little better before the match." responded Future Gohan.

In pretty short order both Gohans then found themselves walking up to the ring with the good wishes of their friends behind them and the roar of the cheering crowds around them. "This is certainly going to be a unique contest. These two fighters have already proven themselves to be of superhuman quality fighters. Young Gohan, the son of champion fighter Goku Son, has already proven himself in super powered contests against Videl Satan for the World Junior Title and against veteran tournament fighter Majunior earlier today. And the mysteriously named Mr. Anonymous has also proven that he's no slouch in his super powered fight against super strong warrior No. 17. But not only are they two titans of power, but they're also FAMILY! That's right, I have it on good authority that despite Mr. Anonymous withholding his name, he has admitted that they are related. But what kind of relationship do they have? Are they distant cousins? Nephews? BROTHERS? We can only speculate at this, but this is assured. The family resemblance is striking and unmistakeable. Family feuds are rare at this tournament but not unheard of. Though it has been some time since the last one as this is the first time in my living memory where family have fought each other in the ring. And with these two both wanting to win the gold for their illustrious family this contest is sure to be a sure fire barn burner of a contest." introduced the announcer and by the time he was finished heralding them, both young Gohan and his future counterpart were standing in the ring.

The tension among the Z-Fighters who were watching was intense to say the least in anticipation to this match. "Wow, I can't that we're actually going to see two Gohans actually duke it out." said Yamcha. "Yeah, it's really going to be a special match alright. And those people have no idea how special this match really is. To say that this is going to be a special match is an understatement." said Goku. "It's incredible when you think about it that these two are actually themselves from different dimensions. They're literally going to be fighting themselves." commented Tien. "Hmph, you might even say that they're here just for this match. You can almost tell that they're enjoying the moment." said Piccolo. Videl just watched it all with an amazed wonder. The two Gohans took their respective stances (The young Gohan again taking the stance he takes in Tenkaichi 3 and the older Future Gohan taking the stance he took in The History of Trunks tv movie when he was about to fight the androids at the amusement park).

"Aaaannnnd BEGIN!" called out the announcer as then sparks flew. In mean sparks _literally_ flew, the clash of their invisible aura energy that they were subtly generating caused a burst of light to occur between them and signalling the start of the fight. (Again like what happened in the Trunks Movie). In the ensuing light show, both Gohans immediately transformed into Super Saiyans. When the lights faded, both fighters were now seen engaging in a wild melee of punches and kicks right in the middle of the ring. Future Gohan was using his greater size and longer limbs to his advantage while the younger Gohan was using his smaller size to counteract the longer limbs. The fighting soon took to the skies as both fighters fought a heated running fight up into the air. The fighting then devolved into motions of fast blurs going to and fro and concussions being dolled out in the air from where the blurs had connected. Although the crowd couldn't see most of it and therefore couldn't tell the difference, but the contest they were watching was even faster than the last one hey saw between Yamcha and Tien.

"Man, I never thought they would be fighting _this_ evenly matched!" exclaimed Yamcha, not even able to keep up with most of the action. "They ae each other after all. Our Gohan maybe slightly more powerful due to his full training at this level but the other Gohan has much more life and fighting experience. He's able to predict more of less where our Gohan is going to strike even though he's faster. But our Gohan's greater speed, power and experience at this level of fighting is also upsetting that disadvantage." gruffly summed up Piccolo, ever the watchful tactician, one of the few who was able to follow the full action. "Wow, this fight really is close." whistled Tien.

Meanwhile, their Gohan was thinking similar thoughts while fighting. 'Man, everything I do he's able to counter it even though I know I faster. It's almost as though he's reading my mind. But then again I shouldn't be too surprised. He is me afterall.' thought an amazed Gohan. Finally, while in mid-combat up in the air Future Gohan had over committed one of his missed punches and Young Gohan capitalized and was able to grab it and toss his future counterpart down heading for the outside of the ring.

But Future Gohan was able to flip and right himself in midair and throw back a large beach ball sized ball of energy. Surprised by the large size of the energy even though it only took an instant to charge up. The surprised Gohan was able to deftly avoid it but when looked back he saw that his older counterpart was gone. He looked back up only to find the very ball of energy he had already dodged was backhanded and deflected back at him and hit him squarely in the face. Smoke billowed from the impact and the young warrior was trailing smoke from his torn up and tattered uniform as he descended to the ring below. He crashed skidding to a medium sized plume of dust near the edge of the ring. For those that knew anything about fighting of this sort and who knew the history of those two that last move was a brilliant maneuver by a very experienced fighter. They knew that this was where experience came into play.

Once the dust cleared, young Gohan was seen getting up and showed that he was worse for wear. The edges of his uniform's shoulder area that would've connected the sleeves that weren't there were now chipped and there was now a tear in his right pant leg exposing his knee. The snarling look on his face told that he didn't enjoy that little move and that he was now determined to pay it back.

But the older Gohan wasn't about to let that happen. He put up his two fingers to his forehead in a very familiar pose and charged up familiar yellow electric energy. "**Special Beam Cannon!**" called Future Gohan as he shot the signature purple and yellow corkscrew beam at his young adversary down below. Young Gohan just smirked as he thought he knew the simple counter to that move. He just simply dodged it by stepping to the left and getting his shoulder out of the way. But then to his horror he saw the beam begin looping around and doing a u-turn back at him. It was a _guided_ Special Beam Cannon! "Well... that one's new." muttered Young Gohan as he leaped up into the air followed quickly be the guided beam.

The older Future Gohan just smirked as he landed softly on the ring while he watched his young counterpart flying all around through the air with the offending beam tailing right behind. The young Gohan was doing all sorts of flying maneuvers as he went up and down, going diagonal and criss-crossing. But then when he reached near above Future Gohan he began to circle around overhead with the infamous beam corkscrewing around witn him behind him. Finally young Gohan began circling faster and faster and getting lower and lower as the corkscrew beam followed and creating and tornado-like funnel of light beam with Future Gohan down below in the middle of it. Before Future Gohan was aware of it, Young Gohan was right on top of him with the right behind him ready to hit. He'd led the beam right at his older counterpart in a classic maneuver of making your opponent hit himself with his own guided attack. Young Gohan deftly flip around out of the way and the resulting explosion covered Future Gohan in smoke.

The young Gohan flipped away and turned into a backflip in midair from out of the first flip he did to trick the beam into his opponent. He landed on his feet some distance away and observed from the back as to check for any damage. But when the smoke cleared, Future Gohan was encased in a powerful energy shield, unharmed. Although impressed as to how powerful that shield must've been to block that shot and how fast he managed to get it up. But, Young Gohan new that he had to keep up the pressure and try to break him out of that shell. And so he opted to cup his hands to his sides in as quickly a motion as he could and just as fast he had a medium sized but powerfully intense Kamehameha beam shooting out of his hands. But almost just as fast Future Gohan dropped the shield and turned around in a flash with a one armed Kamehameha of his own.

The two bright blue beams collided in the middle of the ring but either moved on since as it was a perfect draw right down the middle. The two Gohans struggled and strained but neither beam budged an inch as they were perfectly even beams. The winds generated by the power of the beams was blowing on the audience but nothing physical was effected. Finally, after several seconds of just staying even, the present day Gohan finally gave one push extra and the beam began to advance on Future Gohan. But just as the beam was about to reach him, Future gohan used his free hand to charge up a small baseball sized ball of white energy and threw it in a diagonal ark above the clashing beams before he was overwhelmed and the explosive impact sent skidding on his back across the ring floor leaving behind a trail of dust.

But meanwhile the blast of energy he'd thrown overhead came back down in an arc that hit Gohan right square on when he was still holding onto his Kamehameha beam just as he hit Future Gohan. Young Gohan was sent skidding as well just like his counterpart on the other end but only at a shorter distance since he was already closer to the edge of the ring. But bot then gripped the tiles of the ring with their fingers that left little trenches in the wake of their fingers. Both Gohans then slowed down their skiddings to a crawl until eventually they both stopped at the edge of the ring with their heads just sticking out. Both warriors then got up groggily and stared each other down while clutching their stomachs. Young Gohan's uniform was still tattered just as before only with a few added scorch marks on both his skin and uniform. Future Gohan also sported some scorch marks now and looked a little dirtied along with some chipped edged clothing. Both warriors had taken their shots and were standing at an even standing. Both men now knew along with the crowd that they were equally good as they waited for the next engagement.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, it's Gohan vs Future Gohan, Gohan fighting himself in the first quarter-finals match. I really wanted to bring out some emotion in this fight between these characters and how they co-relate. Not much else to say about this exciting match.**


	17. Battle between Future and Present

**Chapter: 17**

_**:The Battle between the Future and the Present**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

The fight between Gohan and his future self was getting heated up. When the pain from their stomachs finally subsided for both of them and they shook it off. They both then rushed for the middle of the ring and engaged in another clash of fists blocking fists in furious action. But then Future Gohan went for a side kick that would've caught Young Gohan in the side but Young Gohan avoided it by rapidly jumping into the air. Future Gohan followed in pursuit and then they continued their battle in another running fight up in the air. When they reached just below the clouds they vanished and separated. A new round of concussive waves from their mighty and unseen blows ringed accross the skies under the clouds.

Then suddenly Future Gohan reappeared somewhere midway between the clouds and the stadium. He was flying backwards and upwards in a slight diagonal angle and he had his left arm spread out forward with his palm open. He started rapid firing his hand and a number of yellow energy blasts came entrailing from his hand. Young Gohan then reappeared himself several yards away further down forward. He generated an energy field around himself and the running blasts impacted with no effect. When the barrage from Future Gohan lifted, Young Gohan lifted his shield and they both then went at each other once again. A line of concussions rang out once again above the stadium. But then suddenly the line of concussions shifted downwards rapidly and a line of concussions made it's way directly downward in a line to the middle of the ring. When the concussive wave finally hit the ring, both participants reappeared in the ring standing in place.

They were both standing in what was like to be called the "Horse Stance" and they were yelling in concentration. Twin bubbles of yellow energy, the strong energy shields for which they were both known for, appeared around both of them. Dark clouds arose up above in attraction to the mighty powers that were being gathered by the two yelling warriors down below. The two bubbles of power then touched and they began a mighty struggle for power with the two yelling at the top of their lungs. Lines of electricity began emanating from the middle of the two clashing bubbles and a powerful vacuum generated itself from in between the two from the sheer force and making to suck things in. But fortunately it wasn't near as powerful as the one generated by Frieza and a Super Saiyan Goku while they'd clashed on planet Namek years ago so it didn't actually suck in things bigger than hats and lying pebbles. But the "pull" was strong enough that it forced the people to brace themselves and otherwise be a major nuissance to the attending crowds. Both warriors started to realize what effects their battle was having on the surrounding area, now they both knew that something had to give NOW!

It was Future Gohan who reacted, as he pulled back a fist amidst the rumblings that was their struggle. Young Gohan's eyes widened as he realised what he was about to do. Future Gohan sent a straight punch that broke both energy shields in a burst of energy like crystal shards. But Young Gohan dodged the punch by turning his upper body away and twisting his head away. He then backflipped several times away but then he backpedalled and pushed himself back into the fight. Young Gohan then dodged an intending kick that was meant for him as he came in and flipped over it. He rolled in the air and then twisted to come back down with a kick aimed right at his counterpart's jaw. But his foot was caught by Future Gohan's right arm and then the future warrior followed it up with a straight counter with his left aimed right at the young warrior's face. But the offending punch was then caught by Young Gohan and they both stayed like that in fixed position like statues for a good several moments.

Then suddenly, they both vanished simultaniously from their shared position and a new cataphony of concussions filled the air surrounding the ring. Concussion after concussion from the two warriors' fists collided as they battled at speeds unimaginable who some had to cover their ears at the deafening display. This thunderous battle between the two warriors lasts for about a minute or two straight. But it was while battling in this invisible battle that the younger Gohan noticed something about his older future counterpart. 'Huh? It looks like he keeps favoring his left arm while in combat. Wait! Didn't Trunks tell me about this? He lost his right arm in combat with the Androids and had to rely on using his left arm alone while fighting the Androids from then on. But then he had his arm regrown when he came back? I guess he's still having to subconsciously rely on it since he'd gotten used to it too much and hasn't compensated yet. That could be an advantage.' thought Young Gohan as he realised his opponent's possible weakpoint.

They had just gotten to fighting on the ring floor in their "cycle" of invisible battling when Young Gohan made his move. Future Gohan had just gone for a straight forward punch with his left when his younger counterpart grabbed it with both arms and they immediately reappeared it the middle of the ring in that position. Young ohan then went to try to break the arm by holding it under his left armpit and breaking it with his right. Using his elbow to hit the bicep area similar to how Yamcha's arm had been broken at the hands of the Cell Junior. But Future Gohan saw it coming and realised to immediate danger if his favored arm were lost. So he had a trick up his sleeve. He twisted his captured arm and grabbed the arm that was holding him and grabbed it at it's wrist. He then rapidly took that arm and then went at the right arm which was still coiling back to strike and then grabbed it's wrist and now had both hands of the younger Gohan pinned down at the wrist with his one hand. Young Gohan's eyes went wide as he looked up, not believing that Future Gohan had used the arm which he had meant to turn into his weakpoint into a strength by dominating both of _his_ arms.

But then, things weren't over yet. Because when Young Gohan looked up, he also saw that Future Gohan was using his still free right arm to make a one handed Masenko at his head. With the ball already powered up and the hand leveled, Young Gohan could do nothing about it with his arms pinned and he knew it. Future Gohan let him have it and blasted him point blank in the face. But the impact of the resulting explosion was indeed powerful enough to send him rolling backwards head-over-heels in the air just above hugging the ring floor trailing smoke. However, the blast was low level enough and he was tough enough that there was no damage to his skin. It was obvious that Future Gohan had intended the blast to merely knock him out of bounds but it appeared that he underestimated his young counterpart's resilience. Young Gohan righted himself in midair near the edge of the ring and then used all fours to propel himself into he air. "Tch, tougher than I thought." muttered Future Gohan as he then went to pursue and they flew up straight into the clouds where they continued their battling.

'This is ridiculous!? Everything I throw he counters it. Things can't continue like this. I've got to end this soon! But I have to catch him with something that he won't see coming! But what do I have that _he_ wouldn't know about? Hmmm... I got it! Looks like I'll have to use "it". Damn, I didn't want to show my "hand" until later, but I guess I've got no choice.' desperately thought Young Gohan to himself while in mid-battle in the clouds. He realized that he was going to have to resort to desperate measures.

Meanwhile, back on the ground, the audience couldn't see them and all that could be discerned was some occasional bursts of light and the banging sound of their concussive blows. "It looks like the two combatants have taken their fight to the inside of the clouds. Nothing can be seen on this end but one thing is for sure, we can still tell that they sure are fighting hard up there." announced the announcer guy having kept up with calling the action all throughout the match all and was looking straight up with his binoculars and not seeing anything through the thick cloud cover. Not even the watching Z-Fighters could tell what exactly was taking place, but they could sure as hell feel it. "Gohan's on the backfoot now." sharply commented Piccolo, though a slightly worried look on his face. "Yeah, his future-self's extra experience seems to be paying off. He's countered everything Gohan's thrown at him and he knows pretty much every technique in Gohans' playbook. As things stand, if he doesn't figure out something soon, at this rate our Gohan'll most likely lose." summed up Goku as he too watched with anxiety.

Suddenly, there was a large blue flash that petered out of the clouds and the Z-Fighters felt a large burst of energy coming from "their" Gohan, causing a lot of them to look up in surprise as they didn't quite know what to make of it. The eerily familiar sound of what sounded like the traditional droning sound of the Kaioken Attack that was familiar to the Z-Fighters was heard followed shortly by a loud banging sound of what sounded like a large powerful hit echoed. The loose, unconscious body of Future Gohan came tumbling out of the clouds, back first, the big proud kanji for "Han" on the back being on prominent display to everyone watching as he fell. The younger Gohan came following down out of the clouds shortly thereafter. Obviously following the track of his fallen "victim" as he came down and keeping up at the same pace while looking on with a mournful look on his face. (Basically he's in the arms up one foot straight and the other knee up position that most heroes do when they're landing from the skies.)

"Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like that by whatever means, young Gohan has taken out Mr. Anonymous who is now falling to the ground rapidly while followed closely behind by young Gohan." declared the announcer guy. Th Z-Fighters themselves seemed to be were collectively thinking one thing. 'What the heck was that?' was the same thought more or less each of them were thinking. Finally, the future Gohan landed on the outside of the ring with a hard hit that made his body rebound once off the hard ground and kicking up a small mound of dust. The young Gohan finally landed with a gentle "hop" in the ring not far from the edge where he could observe his fallen counterpart with a still maintained sorrowful look. The ring announcer skooted over cautiously as he looked over the scene. "Is-is he dead?" asked the announcer tentatively. "No, if I can survive worse hits then that, then so can he." responded Gohan with a bit of a smirk. But the smirk was more for reassuring and soothing himself more than it was for anyone else, as he looked back down with the regretful look back in place.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Anonymous has fallen out of bounds and apparently lost consciousness. So after a gruelling back-and-forth match the winner of this contest is Gohan!" declared the announcer to the rapturous applause of the crowd. Meanwhile, the sounds of the cheering crowds made Future Gohan began to stir up. He woke back up to come up to see his young counterpart leaning over a helping hand. Future Gohan accepted the hand with a magnanimous smile as he was helped backup to his feet. "What the heck was that?" was Future Gohan's remark once he was back on his feet. "Let's just say it's a little technique I picked up while on my "exotic" travels. And I would like to keep it under my hat or so until later." responded Gohan as they moved along like old war buddies. "I tell ya folks, that's the measure of class. What a way to end such a dramatic contest." proudly finished the announcer. The crowd clapped in respect at the fact that the two had ended the contest with a respectful shake of hands.

When the two finally made it back to the lounge Gohan was immediately confronted with the question. "What the heck was that?" by Goku and which was coincided by the rest of them. "Sorry, but I'd like to keep this technique a secret for later in the tournament." was Gohan's response. The crew turned to his future incarnation for answers since he was the one who was actually _hit_ by it. "Sorry guys. But it was over too quick. I didn't catch the technique." Future Gohan lied, covering his younger little counterpart and respecting his wishes about not revealing it until at least the finals. The rest of the Z-Fighters and especially Goku and Piccolo were suspicious as to that he knew more but they decided to respect their wishes and not press the issue any further. "Man that match was awesome! It looks like you were the stronger one of the two Gohan." praised Yamcha. "Nahhh, I was just luckier I had that technique held in surprise to my advantage. Otherwise short of going to the ascended level of Super Saiyan, I would've lost. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go change." admitted Gohan before he went out realizing that his uniform was wrecked and he went out to change ith another pair he'd brought over in his bag in the locker room. Suddenly, then came the announcer's voice outside. "Okay, so without further adieu ladies and gentlemen, let's get on with the next match!"

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**Author's Final Thoughts:**** And so the young Gohan comes out on top. I really wanted to make a great match between the older veteran Future Gohan versus the relatively stronger, younger and better trained present day Gohan. With both of them fighting on relatively even terms as far as power went, it was the alternative experiences and ttheir different sets of powers that made the difference. I really wanted to make a great match out of it. Just about the only way I could get Young Gohan to win in a fair way was for him to use technique that Future Gohan wouldn't know about. I'm sorry for making it vague and secretive about. But I promise you that I'll reveal it later on. I'm just saving it until then.**

**I hope you weren't too confused when I would change references between the two Gohans. But mostly I referenced them as I felt appropriate for the moment. But mostly I tried for the sake of story to reference Future Gohan as Future Gohan and for the young Gohan as whatever I felt appropriate. But I think that I was specific enough that you all knew **_**exactly**_** who I was mentioning to. But anyway I hope you enjoyed.**


	18. Vegeta vs Trunks

**Chapter: 18**

_**:Vegeta vs Trunks**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

"Ladies and gentlemen, this next match should prove to be interesting. It features two newcomers to the ring. The man simply known as Vegeta and the young man known as Trunks. Both are virtual unknowns and both were very quick in finishing their opponents. Trunks' score on the way in to qualify for the tournament was over 200 and Vegeta... well... he, punched out the punching machine... But that should mean that both of these fighters possess amazing amounts of power so this would make for an amazing match!" introduced the announcer. Both Trunks and Vegeta stood staring face to face intensely, but at a good distance apart from each other in the middle of the ring. Both were wearing identical suits of blue spandex Saiyan armor. Trunks had changed just beforehand especially for this match and with his trademark hair in it's more longer grown out cut.

"Father, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to be serious here. I know what this means to you but, I can't let you win." suddenly declared Trunks, emotion clear in his voice. "Not 'let me win'? And exactly how are you going to do that Trunks?" asked Vegeta, sounding mockful and condescending to him. "You know, that as your son I've always wanted you to be proud of me as your son and to acknowledge my place in your life. But now I see that the only way to get through that thick skull and senseless warriors pride would be by surpassing you!" responded an emotional trunks with clenched teeth and a clenched fist. "Oh? And so you think you've surpassed me now?" again condescentfully remarked Vegeta. "Thanks to the training with you and with Gohan this past year, I feel that I just might have." responded Trunks. "Don't get your hopes up 'Junior'. Because there's no way that I'm going to let anyone else, not even you stand in the way between me and my shot at Kakarot!" viciously returned Vegeta. "You see, that's what I'm talking about. Your obsession with Goku keeps taking priority away from your own family. I'm sick of seeing it! So that's why I have to beat you. I'm going to make you see your family again." declared Trunks. "So that's it. Your doing this for that weakling family I have? Oh, so you want that pitiful little family of yours in this time to enjoy the family life your own pitiful childhood never had? Well I've got news for you. Even if you do beat me, and that's a pretty big if. What makes you think you won't just earn my ever eternal hatred for denying me my date with destiny with Kakarot." replied Vegeta. "If that's what it takes by beating you and surpassing you takes to make you turn your attention to your family? Then that's what I'll have to do." declared Trunks with finality.

Meanwhile, the announcer had been listening in to their conversation. The announcer came up and stuck his microphone in Trunks' mouth. "Excuse me? Couldn'd help but listen in. But did you just say that you and he are father and son?" asked the announcer guy. Both Vegeta and Trunks gave looks at him like they regarded him as an annoying knat. "Yeah, you heard right, he's my father alright. But that fact alone won't mean I won't be holding back any." responded Trunks, making an angry fist at Vegeta. "Humph, as though it actually mattered any." shot back Vegeta with his trademark crossed arms arrogant overconfidence. The announcer then made to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen this is unprecedented! Although one could already tell from the matching suits and loose resemblances that these two were related in some way but who would've ever guessed? With these two being actual father and son this'll be in fact the first ever father and son match in the tournament's history! And judging from the heated arguments earlier it's safe to say that these two seem to have some sort of family issue. That just means that whatever it is it'll bring enormous heat to their battle and fireworks are guaranteed!" addressed the announcer, the crowds reacted with wild cheering at this news. They knew that whatever the outcome, family feuds brought out the best and juiciest fights.

Meanwhile, the Z-Fighters were watching with both a mix of eagerness and anxiety at the upcoming fight. Eager to see a great fight between the two as they knew they could bring, but also dread due to with Vegeta's involvement with his legendary lack of restraint and the damage they could do to the surrounding area. But also in addition to the apparently disastrous family issue they were dealing with and the resulting outcome for their relationship. "Wow man, Vegeta and Trunks are going to fight! With those two going at it there's no telling to what damage they could do!" exclaimed Yamcha. "Yeah, it should be a real interesting fight. But I'm more concerned about the situation between the two and Trunks' apparently for his own reasons and feelings towards Vegeta is going to go for the win." pointed out Goku. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Wow I didn't know Trunks felt that way." agreed Tien. "Trunks is wanting to prove himself against his father by defeating him and surpassing him in this match. But with both of them going for the win I shudder to think of the consequences for not only possibly the crowds but for whoever wins this fight." pointed out analytically Piccolo. The rest of the Z-Fighters other than Goku turned to Piccolo with wide eyes and nodded and gulped almost in unison before looking back at the match with anxiety.

Meanwhile, back at the fight itself. "This should make an interesting little warm up." said Vegeta back at the match. Trunks didn't respond with words but just with a cold hard determined stare. "Fighters ready? BEEEGGGGIIINNN!" signaled the announcer and then both Vegeta and Trunks just went at it.

They both immediately shot out and powered up to Super Saiyan and crashed into each other in a powerful collision of golden power. They went toe-to-toe in a furiously pounding slugfest with each of them using their wrists, forearms and bicepts to block the others' blows and the connections of these blocks of high muscled arms and legs was enough to send thunderous pounding sounds echoing across the stadium. They levitated while fighting and rose to the air and halted at about just below the stadium ceiling. Overly muscled arm met overly muscled arm as the two blocked every shot the other could dish out in a perfect match of mirroring each other's style. You see Vegeta's style of hand-to-hand fighting, which relied on pure power and overwhelming the opponent through breaking through their defenses as opposed to the more stylized technical style of fighting possessed by the likes of Goku and Piccolo. Which was more fitting to Vegeta due to Vegeta's obsession with power and by defacto which was passed down to Trunks due to his training so much with his father and especially during this last year. So their styles perfectly matched each other.

"Whoooweeee! They're really going at it." exclaimed Goku with a slight pleasant smirk adorning his lips as he watched with his head raised and his arms crossed. "Hey guys! Sorry I'm late." suddenly exclaimed Gohan. Having arrived back from changing his tattered and ripped clothes. He had now returned wearing almost an exact replica of Piccolo's uniform, with the cape and elbow pads and minus the turban. "Good, your here. I guess you're not too late. Vegeta and Trunks have just started." said Goku. Gohan just pulled up next to him and started observing. "It looks like their pretty evenly matched at this stage." commented Gohan. "Yeah, and it looks like Vegeta and Trunks have mastered their Super Saiyan forms almost just like us. We could in here for the long haul." commented Goku, having carefully analysed their power.

Vegeta and Trunks suddenly both went for simultanious double flip into clasped hands blow. (Basically they both just went for the double flip move that they're both known for doing against Semi-Perfect Cell in the anime and in the Raging Blast and Budokai Tenkaichi games.) There was a flash of light as they connected and the resulting ripple of air was thunderous. Both Vegeta and Trunks were blown back by the force of the blast. But they both stopped themselves and then quickly re-engaged themselves with one another.

Some more furious action of fists and knees and the two locked each other with both hand. Golden electricity surged from their hands and the sky grew dark with the two powers pushing against each other with their auras surging at their peak around them. It was a mighty clash as they both pushed to see who was the more powerful of the two. But the struggle was at an even standstill as neither one of them budged an inch. But finally, to break the deadlock, Vegeta went into a leaping headbutt, having to lead into it due to his "limited" stature. That broke Trunks out of the deadlock and he went falling down below while grabbing at his sore face.

But Vegeta wasn't done yet. He gathered some energy and then let loose with rapid repeating fire, raining down seemingly hundreds of yellow blasts of guided energy which headed straight for Trunks in a torrent with volley after volley. But just as quick Trunks regrouped himself and returned fire with launching volley after volley of his own. The two rains of blasts connected in the middle of the skies and cancelled each other out in a display of pure power and explosions that dazzled the crowd as a fireworks display greater than those of any festival they'd ever seen. When the display finally ended and ebbed away, both Trunks and Vegeta shot out from their airborne position and locked horns with meeting each other with double headbutts and neither coming off the worst for it. It was like a pair of steel walls meeting each other in a collision. "Looks like this _will_ be interesting." sneered Vegeta through gritted teeth. "Bring it on." simply shot back Trunks.

"Well, looks we're in for the long haul alright." commented Goku from down below, and indeed it was. Trunks and Vegeta went at it unabated for the next twenty minutes. Neither fighter gaining any ground as they just went after each other and clashed time and time again. But then finally, after nearly twenty minutes of action, something happened. "Oof!" gasped Trunks as he took a direct punch to the cheek. Trunks tried to evade and fazed out away at another location but he found Vegeta right there having followed him just as quick and delivered another blow, this time to the rib. This happened two or three more times as Vegeta just kept catching him.

"Well, looks like this one is coming to a close." commented Goku. "I agree." simply agreed Piccolo. "Looks like Trunks finally can't keep up with Vegeta anymore. His energy and stamina are finally getting low while Vegeta is still strong. Looks like he's not as practiced in that form and hasn't mastered it like Vegeta has. His energy is dropping now." remarked Goku. "Looks like this one wil be over soon." piped up Gohan, joining in on the analysis while looking seriously up at the battle, as they all were.

Meanwhile, back at the fight, Trunks was in a precarious position, having his foot grabbed and then spun around. Finally Vegeta released him, but Trunks went to try to immediatedly retaliate. As he flew backwards, Trunks' hands blew into blurs of motion into handsigns. "**Burning Attack!**" called out Trunks as he launched the fiery burning blast of energy. But Vegeta was just as quick on the uptake as he had almost simultanious gone for cupping his hands forward. "**Final Flash!**" called out Vegeta as he launched his signature attack and the overwhelming size of the beam overshadowed Trunks' attack. A giant blinding flash of light was next seen and then, it was over.

When the flash died down what was seen was Trunks' unconscious body floating down limply in the air. Small trails of smoke eminated from him as he fell, unpowered purple hair hanging limply. But just as he was about to crash onto the floor of the ring, Vegeta rocketed down and caught him from below with one arm. (I think you all know the pose? Exactly like the one Goku did against Nappa and Burter.) He then depositted him gently on the ground outside of the ring. "You fought well Trunks. You are indeed my son. You brought me to the peak of my abilities. But I guess this is just a far as you've gotten yet. You'll grow stronger than this, I know. But just not before I deal with Kakarot." said Vegeta, looking over proudly at his defeated future son. Finally then the announcer got his wits back about him. "... L-Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner! It looks Vegeta has won this AMAZING battle between father and son. Looks like we'll be seeing him again in the semi-finals!" declared the announcer, the crowd cheered but not too loudly. Some of them didn't like how this man treated his own son.

Vegeta came back inside the Fighters' Lounge and flashed Goku a victorious smirk. "I hope your proud of yourself. Doing that to Trunks." said Goku, casting a disapproving scowl. "Oh come off of it Kakarot. The boy will be fine in a few minutes. Just give some of those Senzu beans and he'll be fine." shot back Vegeta, just as the medics carted Trunks passed through the lounge. The Z-Fighters still sent him disapproving glares, but Vegeta didn't care for them one bit. All he cared about was that his shot at Goku was virtually assured.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Welp... It was Future Trunks versus Vegeta. I tried to bring out the family feud between those two as only the Vegeta family can deliver. The fighting I couldn't come up with much as all it would end up s was lots of generic fighting that had the two butting heads and coming off as equals until finally Vegeta would win due to sheer fact of his more experience as a fighter and warrior as well as his drive to fight Goku. They were just going to fight in a family feud and Vegeta would win in the end. End of story. I tried to do as much as I could, but most of the original moves and stuff I had in mind still had to save for other fights. But I still think I managed to pull off a rather good match even though it was done in just one chapter. Hope you enjoyed nonetheless.**


	19. Goku vs Yamcha

**Chapter 19**

_**:The oldest of Friends and Rivals**_

_**Goku vs Yamcha**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

"Okay folks, this next match should be interesting to say the least. For you oldschool fans out there this should be in store for a real treat. It's former three-time quarter-finalist Yamcha, versus two-time runner up and former champion Goku!" announced the announcer. But meanwhile, the two soon-to-be combatants were still preping in the lounge. "Good luck Yamcha. Do your best out there and you should do good. Heh heh, even against my dad." supported Gohan. "Gee, thanks for the support Gohan." sweatdropped Yamcha, sarcasm dripping his words. "Hmmm, I'd tell you good luck Kakarot, but you'll hardly seem to need it." smirkingly mocked Vegeta. Goku sent Vegeta a scowl at that little shot, but otherwise let it drop. Both Goku and Yamcha then walked up next to each other at the entrance and stood there for a few seconds with the light of the outside just enrapturing their darkened forms. "You nervous?" almost sarcastically joked Goku, shooting Yamcha a look of confidence. "Not a chance." shot back Yamcha with a equally confident grin. 'Man, I can't believe this is it! I'm finally gonna face Goku.' Yamcha meanwhile thought secretly in his head. They then both walked out and into the light.

"ANND here they come ladies and gentlemen! These two warriors are making their way to the ring. Both these men have quite a history together. Both men studied under the same master, both received training from the legendary Turtle School under the legendary Turtle Hermit Master Roshi. They are sibling disciples but unless I miss my guess it was at different times. They both participated in the same tournaments, having participated in the prestigious 21st, 22nd and 23rd tournaments together. Though Yamcha always seemed to have jinx of never making it past the quarter-finals while Goku always seemed to make it to the championship rounds. In fact the first two times these two participated, they would both end up loosing to the same men who would later go on to be the champions, against Jackie Chun and Tien Shinhan respectively. Whoah a lot of connections between these two folks. But all through it all these two have always had a rather close friendship. These have never come to blows in this tournament before. So how exciting it must be because if Yamcha wins this one, it could mean sweet satisfaction of meaning he'd finally move on out of the quarter-finals and make it to the semi-finals!" introduced the announcer, having talked while the two had made their way to the ring and who were now standing in the ring facing other.

'Man, this guy has no idea. Just getting to face Goku, I feel as though I've already made it to the finals.' thought Yamcha. "Man, Goku, I can't believe we've made it this far. All the way back from the good old days." addressed Yamcha, nostalgia seeming to grip him that very moment. "Yeah, I can't believe it too. It's definitely been a while since that first time we fought. But standing here, with you, it feels as though while many things have changed, but at the same time, some things haven't." spoke Goku. "Yeah, it's definitely been a few years since "that" time when we first fought. But now I get to finally get my shot to fight you again. I've been waiting a loooong time for this." said Yamcha. "Yeah, it'll definitely be a pleasure fighting you again after all these years. I've gotta say, you looked pretty powerful back when you were fighting Tien. You've definitely gotten way stronger. I'm looking forward to this." eagerly said Goku.

"Yeah, but both me and Tien were holding back. We were holding back some of our best aces. But although I will admit we had to reveal more that we should have. But I still managed to hold back some of my best aces still. So I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve so this match isn't as forgone as you might think." said Yamcha, slinking into his favorite Wolf-Fang Fist stance with a confident smirk. "Well, then I guess this _will_ _be_ _interesting_. Now I'm _really_ looking forward to this." shot Goku with an equally confident and eager grin while he too got into a stance. "Alright! And fighters you may begin!" declared the announcer, signalling the start of the fight.

"Okay Goku, hope you don't mind if I start us off?" said Yamcha, more as a statement than an actual request. "Not at all, you go right ahead." insisted Goku. At that point Yamcha put himself into the horse stance and began powering up. The signature red aura shooting up like a pillar around him and the cascading power causing the surroundings to rumble. "**Kaioken x10!**" yelled out Yamcha Power as he summoned up the power awesomely powerful Kaioken technique to his maximum. He knew that even with his since increased strength, at his base level he would still be no match for Goku. Even in Goku's normal form his power level was so far greater than his that he would need to push his limits with the Kaioken in order to even stand on equal footing with Goku. And judging from the stressed look on Goku's face, not to mention the surprise that he could even _make_ it to Kaioken x10, but that he knew that this wasn't going to be easy for even _him_ to withstand.

Once he was finally done powering up, Yamcha leaped and launched himself at Goku, breaking up the tiled floor of the ring from where he'd left. A powerful red tail from the signature Kaioken left a trail going back at the break as well as the powerful wail of the Kaioken following in his wake. When Yamcha finally reached him, Goku just barely managed to get his are up and block the incoming right punch with his left forearm. But the shock from the reverberation of the power from such a blow caused shaking and untold numbers of glass to break. The say the least, Goku was surprised at the sheer power that Yamcha possessed with this new Kaioken enhanced strength. But Goku was still able to keep up and when Yamcha went for a left punch he was able to block that too, and then another and then another and pretty soon they were involved in a running melee that ran into the air.

As they fought up in the air, Yamcha kept being on the aggressive side and although he was pushing his limits with the Kaioken, Goku was keeping pace and blocking and dodging everything. But judging from the strain on Goku's face it was hard for him to block everything too. He was also pushing his limit to keep up the defence, but not as much Yamcha was pushing it. Finally, at the end of a series of fighting rolling scissors, they ended up in the clouds and they disengaged and seperated from each other.

"Heh, I can't believe you can do the Kaioken that high! How did you do it? How did you get this strong?" asked Goku, like the eager fighter he'd always been. "Well, that's sorta a long story." nervously answered Yamcha. "Oh, I can wait." smuggly responded Goku. "Well you see, it all started with a bit of an 'incident'." supplied Yamcha. "An 'incident'?" Goku repeated. "Yeah, well, while you and the others were off in outer space. an incident that happened. You see, Dr. Briefs was experimenting with Saiyan DNA and more specifically _your_ DNA. _I_ ended up being the doc's guinea pig for the experiment and things blew up in our faces. In the resulting explosion I absorbed your Saiyan DNA into my system. I'm now part Saiyan and not only did the product give me back my bodacious locks of hair back. But I also apparently got a whole bunch of new strength and powers. And because that it was your DNA, I aquired some of _your_ powers." explained Yamcha. "Oh? So that's how it is huh? Well I'm glad to see it." said Goku. "Huh!? Don't you feel even the least bit perturbed? I mean we used _your_ DNA, shouldn't you feel at least a little violated?" wondered out loud Yamcha, clearly wondering how Goku could take it so easy. But then again when he really thought about it it really made sense with what he knew about Goku's easy going nature. "Well, I guess maybe a little. But I'm more glad to see them used to good effect to make you stronger and not some other evil purpose. That and plus I'm more curious about what more powers you've developped." said Goku as he slid into a stance in the air. Yamcha replied with a smirk and got into his own stance and readied for another round.

"Heh, alright, you've got it Goku. Get ready for this! **Wolf-Fang Kaioken Attack!**" called out Yamcha as he powered up his Kaioken aura and launched himself with the Wolf-Fang claws ready to strike. He collided with Goku and the two became a flury of motion as Goku defended himself against the Kaioken enhanced Wolf-Fang Fist attack. But although it was hard pressed, because he knew the base technique Goku was able to defend it. But then Yamcha knew that it would that one more push was all it needed to finally push Goku over the edge. And even though he was already pressing himself as well, he decided to turn things up and he switched to his newer double version of the Wolf-Fang Fist and that did the trick. Goku was overwhelmed by the newer more powerful fists which he had no knowledge of and although he was blocking most of the attacks, enough were getting through and they were doing damage. Then shortly thereafter Goku's defenses completely broke and a rain of blows followed. But then Goku managed to duck under one of the punches and managed to evade out of the clouds. "**Kaioken!**" screamed Goku, powering up his own Kaioken. Going for the original Kaioken and hoping to counter Yamcha. But as the two went to engage again Yamcha went it a step further and powered up to Kaioken x12 and still overwhelmed Goku.

Goku fell out of the skies out of Kaioken mode but somehow he managed to land on all fours. Goku was visibly panting, it looked like that Kaioken had taken a bit out of him. "See Goku? Your body's not as used to the Kaioken anymore as it used to be. You've fallen out of use of it since you've become super saiyan. While I on the other hand have been practicing mine and my body has gotten more use to it. Sorry, but you can't keep up with me that way." chastised Yamcha as he landed softly in front of Goku. "He he he... You've got me there. Looks like I'm not getting anywhere with that." admitted Goku in his cheerful way of things while still clutching at his rib. "Glad to see that you sense of good humour is still there." remarked Yamcha. "He he yeah. But I would appreciate it if you used one of your own tricks instead of a borrowed one." said Goku. "Well then I'd be glad to ablige. Here's a new trick I developped all on my own. Hot off the presses. I hope you like it." Yamcha shot back with a devilish smirk as he got into a new stance for his latest technique.

Yamcha brought his arms back at the sides of his waist. He powered up his Kaioken and red swirling energy began to snake their way down his arms. (Sorta think of the way _**Kishimoto**_ from Naruto draws swirly symbols, think of a fiery red energy like that snaking his arms.) And when they reached the end of his arms he brought his arms forward quickly and sharply in much the fashion he would do for Kamehameha in order to launch his attack. Except that for this attack his arms were a little more angularly diagonal until when they reach the cupped wrists as opposed to the regular Kamehameha where the arms are out forward straight. But not only that, but the left hand that was on top had the two index fingers pointed more like a pair of sharp teeth. (Like the way his fingers are in his forward arm when he's in his stance for the opening dialog in the Raging Blast games.) And his bottom right hand was cupped in more like a row of teeth. And from this configuration an energy attack burst forth that came in the shape of a wolf's head. A wolf's head with red and sky blue coloring and long sharp fangs. The eyes glowed sky blue like shining bright stars and the under chin and cheeks were sky blue while the rest of the head itself including the long sharp fangs were red. (Imagine like a wolf's face with all the skin peeled off and the red muscle structure showing. And also imagine adding a wispiness to it. That would be what this attack would look like. Basically it's like Yamcha's version of the Dragon Fist.)

"**Fist of the Wolf's Claw Attack!**" called out Yamcha with the name of this new attack. Goku was caught quite unawares by this new attack and the look on his face denoted quite the surprise look. "That's new..." was all that Goku managed to get out before the attack hit him right on. Goku was caught in the wolf's mouth and he struggled to keep the giant wolf's teeth from shutting closed on him. Goku was taken along for the ride as Yamcha directed his attack to go straight up and the attack reacted. It moved up and it's "body" trailing behind twisted upwards like a snake and up straight into the sky. Once the attack got a far enough distance up in the air, the snaking wolf's head started to come right back down. "Hope you enjoyed the ride Goku. Because this is where you get off." taunted Yamcha as the attack made straight down to connect with the ground outside the ring. Goku saw this and he had to think of something fast if he was to avoid both a disastrous ring out and knockout.

But just as the attack was on the verge of hitting the groung. The distinctive blink of yellow light seemed to break through the shroud of the wolf's head attack. Shortly thereafter there followed a great burst of round golden energy that burst open the wolf's head and scattered it to the four winds. Yamcha had to cover himself with one arm to shield himself from the golden energy burst's radiance. But when the light faded, all those in the audience gasped at the sight that emerged. Goku emerged in his full Super Saiyan splendor, topped with his characteristic blonde crown of "conehead" hair and hovering just a few feet off the ground with which he was supposed to have made contact. Yamcha cursed in his head at this developpment.

But however, to the crowd who were right nearby watching this, it was quite the revelation. "Wait? That guy Goku can turn blonde too?" questioned one audience member. "I think they said they called it Super Saiyan?" said another who was standing behind the first one and overheard what he'd said. "Wait a minute? Didn't I see that guy somewhere else before?" remarked yet another, recognition starting to kick in. "Wait! I know where we've seen that guy before! That was the hero who fought Cell on Tv before Mr. Satan or the kid!" exclaimed another, recognition finally having set in. The astonishment was evident on his comrades faces and pretty soon the whole audience knew. They now knew that one of their hero's, the unknown hero at the Cell Games, now had a name, Goku.

Although despite the fact that he had just revealed himself and the crowd was murmuring about how he was the hero from the Cell Games. All of that was just backround noise to Goku as he had only one thing on his mind, fighting Yamcha. "Alright Yamcha. You ready for round 2?" challenged Goku. "Damn, I was sure that would've gotten you! But it looks like you saved yourself at the last second with the Super Saiyan. Looks like things have just gone up a notch." called back Yamcha. "Get ready Yamcha. I'm coming for ya!" warned Goku shortly zipping at him at speeds faster than Yamcha could follow.

Yamcha barely had time to power up his Kaioken again. "**Kaioken x20!**" desperately called out Yamcha, powering up passed even what he considered safe margin as he knew that he was in over his head and he needed every inch at his disposal to even keep up with Goku now. But the aura had barely finished when Goku suddenly hit from nowhere and landed flush on his jaw. Yamcha was sent careening over the ring floor but he managed to flip and right himself in midair and bounce back into the air. He looked around, Kaioken times 20 helping sharpen his senses so that he could hope to find Goku. But Goku was just too fast as a Super Saiyan and he got hit in the back before he could even see him. The tide had indeed turned and Yamcha knew he was over his head as everywhere he ended up, time after time Goku was right there appearing in his face to deliver a powerful blow.

Yamcha got beaten up by the more powerful Goku for awhile before finally he found himself laying face first on the mat and powered out of his Kaioken mode. "Yamcha, you fought well my friend. But this is it. Why don't you just give up?" asked Goku, towering watchfully over Yamcha, feeling disappointed on behave of Yamcha. "Give up!? No way, this is just getting started." defiantly shot out Yamcha as he stubbornly crawled to his feet. "You can't win." said Goku, which was all that he could say. "LET'S JUST GET ON WITH IT!" yelled challengefully Yamcha, almost daring Goku to attack as he stood on wobbly legs. "Ok, fine by me. But remember you asked for it." said regretfully Goku as he wound up for the pitch.

But then suddenly, Yamcha's hand surprisingly caught Goku's punch. Yellow energy seemed to be leeking out of Yamcha's body like vapor. Then, when Goku looked into Yamcha's eyes he saw that the pupils were gone and therefore all that was left was all white pupiless eyes staring back at him. Then the leaking vapors switched into a bright yellow aura that raged wildly like a flowing wildfire and that turned Yamcha's once long spiky mane of black hair into looking like a shade of auburn that flowed upwards in gravity defying fashion by some unknown wind similar to that of a Super Saiyan just without the blonde aspect. Things had just shifted.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** A match between Goku and Yamcha. All I have to say that it's finally time that Yamcha earned a little recognition and I think that a match with Goku is the closest thing I can get to it and get away with it without it being unrealistic. Like say for example having him go to the semi-finals or higher or even having him win the whole thing. Yamcha's going all out and with Goku actually being a little pushed and struggling to keep up. But Goku nonetheless **_**can**_** keep up like we all know he can.**


	20. Yamcha's True Power!

**Chapter: 20**

_**:Yamcha's True Power**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

'Woah Yamcha.. What the heck is this power coming from!? Are you a...' thought Goku in wonder, amazement and not without a hint of fear as the suprise was etched onto his face as the new power stood glowing before his eyes. But before Goku could think further he was cut off by Yamcha using his new strength to try and break his wrist. But Goku managed to slip out of the grip and leaped away several yards. But just as he'd thought he'd gotten out of danger and felt comfortable with himself, Yamcha had quickly dashed forward in pursuit and was now right in his face.

Goku barely ducked a punch aimed right at his head and that started a series of actions that lead them to a running melee with Goku backpedalling backwards and Yamcha staying in step in pursuit and both fighting evenly. But pretty soon it was evident that Yamcha was getting the better of the fight with his fists inching closer and closer to Goku's head with each passing swing. But Goku once again avoided danger by escaping this time into the air over a swinging punch. But Yamcha once again followed and they were once again exchanging in the air.

"Now I definitely recognize that man now. That man is definitely the hero from East City. There's no doubt now." said the old man from before in the audience. Recognizing the power that he had caught a glimpse of when it was unleashed at that battle against Lord Slug. "Wow? Really? For sure?" asked his young friend from before. "Mmm-hmm. There's no doubt about it. I would recoginse that golden glow anywhere. I'll never forget it." said the old man. "Wow, would you imagine the golden guy from the Cell Games against the hero of East City." murmured the young man as he looked back up at the battling up above by the golden enshrouded pair. The word was soon passed along and it was quickly realized by the rest of the audience the significance of this match.

Yamcha's new wild but powerful style utilized by his new form was starting to get the better over Goku in the exchanges and Goku had to cut his losses. He swung away his head and under body to dodge one of Yamcha's swinging punches and escape below back down to the ring. But Yamcha didn't pursue this time. He instead launched a volley of repeating three blasts of yellow energy that landed all around Goku but didn't actually hit him. But the dust and smoke from the impacting blasts caused Goku to cover his eyes and make him miss what was coming next. Yamcha charged into the smoke and dbris, his powerful aura parting the smoke where he landed. And then launched himself at Goku but Goku was just quick enough on the uptake to catch both of Yamcha's hands and catch them in a grip. But Yamcha with his new strength and the momentum from is charge, he pushed Goku back several yards.

Then, when they stopped it became a tug-of-war. Both started pushing their golden power to the brink, Super Saiyan against Artificial Super Saiyan to see who was stronger. The grind was terrible and the effects on he surrounding area was devastating as it caused uncontrollable winds to harass to audience and small pieces of tile to levitate as if gravity was turned off on this small corner of the Earth. But in the contest there started to come a clear winner. Yamcha was starting to inch ahead as he was pushing Goku back, forcing his feet to trail along on the tiled floor.

Goku could tell at this point that Yamcha's new power was too much for him. So he broke the engagement and flew for the safety of the air. He couldn't believe that Yamcha had this power and that it was pushing him back, even as a Super Saiyan. But he'd still not unleashed his full Super Saiyan powers yet, the ones he'd mastered in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. He was still only going on the basic level of the Super Saiyan, the level he'd fought at when he'd faced Frieza. 'But it looks like I have no choice... but to power up. But I don't think he'll let me. I've got to find an opening!' thought Goku as he stood hovering over Yamcha.

But Yamcha once again leaped up to pursue and knee met knee as Goku blocked a knee strike from Yamcha in midair with his own and sparks flew. Some more fists flew as they engaged in yet another fast and furious melee in the air. It was then that Goku saw his opportunity. He caught one of Yamcha's hands with with his own and locked up with his grip. Then Yamcha grabbed the other one in likewise and pretty soon they were both struggling in another test of power. But this time Goku used the opportunity to stay put and power up to Full Power Super Saiyan while Yamcha was occupied with the power struggle. In his wildened state of mind Yamcha was more instinct at this point then rationally controlled so his intelligence was slowed to realize what was happening. But when he finally did he tried to push forward his arms fast with his temporary advantage and disrupt Goku's process, but it was already too late. Goku pushed him back with a massive wave of energy, yelling at the top of his lungs.

Yamcha was sent rolling back in the the air and when he finally righted himself back right side up he found that Goku was gone from his vision. He looked around but Goku was just too fast now. Goku hammered him from the back and then he recovered in the air. Yamcha realised that he was on the backfoot now and it would be all or nothing from now on. He flared his aura and pushed his Saiyan DNA to their max in the hopes thatit would let him stay level just a bit longer. He winked out himself in turn and soon the air was reverberating with the two of them winking in and out with one either clobbering the other and the blow giving off a concussion wave or with one dodging by winking out in turn. And Yamcha found himself on the positive end of those exchanges far too precious few too many times. Goku was just too skilled and far too powerful at this point for even his enhanced DNA to matter, he was on the definitive backfoot and he knew it. Yamcha with what left of his rational mind decided that if was going to do this, he would have to finish this with one final shot. 'It's All or Nothing!' screamed Yamcha in his mind.

After recovering himself from yet another shot from above from Goku. Yamcha swung out his arms and caught Goku just as he appeared in front of him. Their hands locked grips with one another and it looked like it was shaping up to be another power struggle. 'Come on. Yamcha you can't seriously think this'll work like this?' thought Goku in his mind as a smirk leaked out onto his face that showed what he thought of this plan. But things were different this time as Yamcha concentrated energy in his hands while they were still in the grip. Goku watched with panic stricken eyes as he saw the glow of yellow energy build up. Then, Yamcha fired. The energy blast expanded as Yamcha pushed with both hands with everything he had. Goku had had his hands open in the grip so he used that to hold the blast back even as it continued to expand to a huge size with Goku being pushed back. (Think of it like the point blank blast Goku gave Kid Buu in the anime at the start of the fight while still in Super Saiyan 2. The one that just kept on expanding to a massive size and pushed Kid Buu back and nearly disintegrated him. Think on the same thing like that except not quite as big and Goku's on the receiving end and not getting overwhelmed but trying to hold it with both arms. Kinda like that moment when Cell tried to hold back Gohan's giant Super Kamehameha with both hands in their fight in the anime.)

Yamcha was pouring everything into this attack. Every inch of his artificial power was being pushed into this last all or nothing attack. Goku was being pushed back as he held on for dear life but he wasn't being overwhelmed even as the attack expanded to a considerable oval shaped length. 'This has to work!' said Yamcha desperately as he pushed _everthing_ into his attack. But just as it seemed that Goku was about to buckle, he let go and dropped out to let the blast sail harmlessly overhead. The big yellow blast continued on into the distance in the sky. It was nearly to the horizon when there was an explosion in the shape of a massive yellow orb of energy over the ocean. The audience breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Yamcha panted hard as he couldn't believe he'd failed like that. His golden aura along with his powers faded away. Exhausted of his powers, Yamcha tumbled out of the sky and fell to the ring floor. Somehow he managed to strength to land on all fours on his knees and elbows, severely weakened from the exhaustion of his powers. Goku landed casually not too far from him and looked on with pity as Yamcha struggle to just keep himself on all fours. "Yamcha... You did good getting all the way out here. That last attack almost had me! And that wierd power really threw me for a loop. But now... it's over. You've done all you can." said Goku, somberly. "No! Not yet! I've still got one trick left! One more shot!" defiantly exclaimed Yamcha, managing to somehow get back to his feet and staring down Goku defiantly. "Are you kidding!? You're out of power and you can barely stand! But if you're willing to go down to the bitter end. Then I won't deny you. Show me Yamcha. This last move." declared Goku, accepting the challenge. Giving Yamcha this last honor, eager and curious to see what Yamcha had up his sleeve. "You better watch out Goku. It's a killer." menacingly warned Yamcha as he went to make his move.

Yamcha reached his arms out up to the heavens and began concentrating. Goku wondered what this was as it looked to him that Yamcha was going for the Spirit Bomb but he knew that it couldn't be that as the "feel" of it was off. Then, what appeared to be yellow or golden spots began to seemingly appear out of thin air around Yamcha and began to congregate to his hands. Yamcha then brought his left hand to grab his right wrist with his right arm bent and his right hand open palms out in almost the exact same pose he uses for his Spirit Ball attack. But now the energy that he'd gathered made their way to his right hand in a more wispy form similar to the Spirit Bomb when it was gathered into the hand only except this energy was yellow. Finally, with an almost maniacal grin-like expression Yamcha powered up the energy and formed a large yellow ball of energy that was almost the exact duplicate of the Spirit Bomb except it was bright yellow colored.

"What the!? What the heck is that attack?" exclaimed Goku. "Heheheh... This is _my_ alternate version to the Spirit Bomb. I call it, the Solar Bomb! It's almost the same thing as your Spirit Bomb except I use the energy from the Sun to form it. It's another something I've developped, thanks to the power of your DNA in my system." explained Yamcha with an all too pridefull smile. "Wow Yamcha! That's incredible! You actually used the energy from the Sun to create that attack." said Goku, clearly impressed and his expression was like a child getting to see a new toy. Yamcha frowned a bit at this, he didn't want to impress his enemy, but he guessed that Goku would always be Goku. "Let's see if you can handle this! Solar Bomb GOOO!" shouted out Yamcha as he launched his attack much in the same way as he did his Spirit Ball.

The glowing yellow ball of death came barreling in and Goku had a mortified face as the glow reached his features as it closed in. He knew that even though he was in his Super Saiyan state he _did not_ want to get hit with _that_! At the last second, when it was just inches away, Goku jumped over it and leaped into the air to avoid. As the ball sailed past below him it seemed that he had evaded the clumsy one way attack. But then Yamcha just made the "up" sign with his two fingers and the direction of the ball immediately turned right back up diagonally at Goku. Goku had just enough time to look back with a look of exclamation etched on his face to find to his horror that the ball was right back on him. With no time to dodge in midair the attack hit.

Yellow energy bolts like lightning charges erupted around Goku as the attack did it's damage. Goku was thrust straight up into the sky by the "main" beam. (Basically it works the same way as the Spirit Bomb that attacked Vegeta on Earth. Except once again, you guessed it. It's yellow colored!) Eventually the light show died down and Goku came tumbling down, unpowered out of Super Saiyan and back first onto the hard ring floor. Yamcha just panted, exhausted from the effort. "Sorry Goku. But you didn't think that that was the only thing I would incorporate into the attack. I also incorporated the control abilities of my Spirit Ball attack into the attack. Too bad for you." exhaustedly explained Yamcha as a final taunt.

Meanwhile, the crowds couldn't believe what had just took place. It took a few seconds for the announcer to pick up his hanging jaw and readdress himself. "Ladies and gentlemen! It looks like we have an upset! It seems that Yamcha has got Goku down for the count. But just to be safe I'll start the count anyway. 1... 2..." declared the announcer as he began with the count. Yamcha meanwhile couldn't believe it. It was just settling in that he had just beaten Goku! While he was a Suer Saiyan no less. He was ecstatic. "Woohooo! I can't believe it! I've beaten Goku!" exclaimed Yamcha, his excitement out weighing his exhaustion. Meanwhile, the Z-Fighters were even more stunned at this latest turn of events. While one particular saiyan in the back was glowering and cursing at his bad luck, the rest of the Z-Fighters looked on with concern for Goku. Hoping that he wasn't hurt too badly by that awefully destructive attack.

But just as the announcer reached the 8 mark, Goku's eyes shot open and before anybody knew it he'd zipped up and delivered a game ending punch to Yamcha's gut. Yamcha's eyes were bugging out and his mouth was wide open in gasping surprise as Goku leaned in his face right next to Yamcha. "Sorry to have to do this to you Yamcha. But that was an awesome attack. I guess it was just back luck to you that I tough enough to recover consciousness when I did. Otherwise you would've won. But now, it's over. Just stay down." muttered Goku in almost a whisper for Yamcha to hear. And then Yamcha slumped down into unconsciousness.

"Whu...? Ladies and gentlemen hold the phone! It looks like Goku has come back from the brink of defeat and has now delivered a game ending blow to Yamcha. Either it was just that amazing a recovery or Goku was just playing possum on us. Either way now it's contestant Yamcha who's down for the count. I'll start it off, but hopefully this'll be that last time. Because after what I've just seen anything can happen." announced the announcer as he then made the count. The count was rounded off, Yamcha was not getting back up from this one. After finally reaching the 10 mark Goku was declared the winner.

Yamcha woke back up to find Goku merrily extending his hand in friendship to help him back up. With a grateful smile Yamcha accepted the rapturous applause of the audience. "Heh, looks like I lost." expressed Yamcha. "Yeah, but it was a great try. You almost had me there, even I thought you would win after hitting with that Solar Bomb attack of yours. Which by the way was awesome. I couldn't believe you would push me so far. That was a nice match." praised Goku. "Thanks, truth be told I didn't expect to come that close to winning or push you that far either. But I guess that wasn't enough. But I guess it was a nice run while it lasted huh? Now I'll have no regrets." said Yamcha. "Huh? Regrets? Regrets for what?" questioned Goku, eyebrow raised and head teetered to the side in innocent confusion.

"For THIS!" exclaimed Yamcha as he grabbed the announcer's microphone as he had come over to do an interview and was betwen the two fighters at the time. "Hey! That's mine." protested the announcer. "Listen up everyone! This is that last time your going to see me. I came into this tournament with this decision in mind. But now that I'm here and after this match I know it was the right decision. I'm going to take this time to tell you that I'm officially retiring from fighting. This is the last time you'll be seeing me in this ring again." declared Yamcha much to the collective gasps of the audience and of everyone in in general.

The announcer grabbed his microphone again. "How about that, after a valiant attempt to dethrone his long time friend Goku. Yamcha has said he's calling it quits and retired. Though I must say it's kinda sad to see a fighter of your caliber losing once again in the quarter-final and that your retiring after never getting passed that point." said the announcer, sticking the mike back into Yamcha's face for a response. "Well, I would've liked to have gone farther in the tournament today. But after fighting Goku like this. I feel like I've already reached the finals, both for the tournament and in life. I'm just glad I could do as well as I did and after this performance I can bow out on a high note." said Yamcha as he just looked to Goku and Goku looked back, proud smile etched on his face. "Yamcha, you were the first rival I ever had all those years ago. And after fighting you today I'm glad. You were so strong today that I'm honored that I got to be you last opponent just like you were my first. I'm glad I got you as my first rival and as my friend." said Goku as he then brought up his arm. And then both he and Yamcha clasped arms in symbolic gesture of comradeship and respect much to the rapturous applause of the audience.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, Yamcha went all out and I showed you the full breath of his new powers. (And for those of you who didn't bother to read it yet and are a bit confused as to why Yamcha has these powers? Check out my Yamcha's Finest Hour side-story in order to find out fully how Yamcha got them.)**

**But in the end Goku would have to win like we all knew he would. But I think that making Goku go that far and actually coming close to victory in a valiant heroic try actually spoke more for Yamcha and I think that it was the best I could give to him. Yamcha went out on his shield and bowed out with grace as he retires from fighting in style, as he deserves. I hope you enjoyed the match as enjoyed writing it. And so the last quarter-final match has wrapped up and I hope you enjoyed them up to now. Because the semi-finals are going to be crazy. But if you enjoyed the fights so far, then you're going to LOVE the semi-finals and the finals.**


	21. Enter Brody, the Son of Broly

**Chapter: 21**

_**:Enter Brody, the Son of Broly**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

After getting back to the lounge, both Yamcha and Goku were greeted with congratulations from their friends. "That was awesome Yamcha!" congradulated Tien. "Yeah, that was a totally amazing match. I couldn't believe how you pushed dad that far and almost won! I'm jealous of you right now. I wish you could teach ME some of those moves." gushed a totally "fanboy" mode Gohan. "Thanks, _that_ coming from you Gohan, means the world to me." gratefully replied Yamcha. Gohan beamed at this. Yamcha then exhaustingly made his way to a bench to "ice his knees" as the match had really taken it's toll on him.

Goku, meanwhile, was being attended to by Piccolo. "Goku, do you want me to fix you up some new clothes?" suggested Piccolo. "Yeah, that would be good." replied Goku, his uniform being very worn from combat. "Hmm? While I'm at it why don't I fix you up with some senzu beans. You look like that match took a little bit out of you." again suggested Piccolo, having ben placed in charge of the bag of beans they had brought over once Krillin had departed. Though it was more of a statement. "Naah, Yamcha's the one who really needs it. He's the one who took the real damage of the fight. But then again, I guess I did lose quite a bit of energy. I guess I could use one." jovially accepted Goku before receiving and gulping down the offered senzu bean.

But then, that was when Vegeta decided to make his way over to Yamcha, disgustingly superior smirk in place. "Well, congradulations. You gave Kakarot a fair bit of trouble. Although you managed to trouble Kakarot enough to make him go Super Saiyan. Which I guess coming from just a wealking Human such as yourself is quite impressive. But don't let it get to your head. If it'd been myself facing you I would've hardly let myself fall prey to such wimpy simple tricks like that fool Kakarot did." derogatorily taunted Vegeta, trying to look so smug and superior. The rest of the Z-Fighters looked like they took exception to Vegeta's comments. "Oh really Vegeta? And which one of Yamcha's "little surprises" would you have seen coming?" deviously posed Goku. "W-Well... I... " stuttered and babbled Vegeta, trying to backtrack his words after having his bluff called. Seeing the looks on the Z-Fighter's faces who seemed to be waiting to hear his excuse, knowing ful well that nobody, not even Vegeta would've seen those moves coming and realising that they were, knew that whatever he would say they probably wouldn't believe anyway. And so Vegeta just shut his mouth and fumingly stormed away, muttering curses along the way. Clearly having been humiliated about having his bluff being called. "*Huff*, thanks Goku." thanked Yamcha once Goku made his way over. "No problem bubby. He'd been asking for it anyway. In fact, knowing him and the way he fights with his ego he'd've probably fallen for every trap you'd had out there." joked Goku. The image of Vegeta cockily, like a great big proud Peacock lifting his chin daring to have himself hit with anything Yamcha got and getting knocked out immediately by one of Yamcha's surprise new moves came to Yamcha's mind. "Heh heh. Yeah, I guess that sounds just like him." joked along Yamcha.

But then, after sharing a few laughs at Vegeta's expense, Goku's eyes grew a little more serious. "By the way, speaking of your new powers. Care to explain what that strange golden power was about? You looked sorta like a Super Saiyan out there except... not? Was it another side-effect of that DNA thing you were talking about?" questioned Goku. "Yeah, I guess you can say so. It's another power I was given when I was "endowed" with this power. Me and the Doc theorized that the combination of your Saiyan DNA fusing with normal human cells might have done it. Or the combination of chemicals mixed into the Saiyan DNA created it. Or maybe even a combination of both. Either way the end result was the creation of some sort of an "Artificial" or "Fake" mode of Super Saiyan." reluctantly explained Yamcha.

"So that's what it is huh? Well that sounds like an awesome ability. It sounds like something that could come in really useful." remarked Goku. "Yeah, and it did. You see during the months where you were "off world" and just a few days after my "incident". An evil bad guy named Lord Slug tried to freeze the Earth over and use it as his own personnal spaceship. During my battle with him I sorta naturally tapped into and unleashed my new powers. That was when I temporaily unleashed this new "Artificial" Super Saiyan mode and I used it to help beat Lord Slug. That's how I became know as "The Hero of East City"." finally explained Yamcha.

"Well that's wonderful news Yamcha. Sounds like you saved the world all on your own this time. And it looks lke you've found a real useful power. I can't wait to see how useful it'll to us whenever or "If" ever we'll need to fight some bad guys." happily said Goku. "Sorry to have to disappoint you Goku, but I think I pretty much used it all up when I was fighting you." shamefully admitted Yamcha. "Huh?" gaped Goku. "You see I'd tried training it to control this power for the tournament. But the power was too wild and I never found much control over it. All I could hope for was to unleash it and I didn't manage to even do that many times. And whenever I did, I could feel that it was slowly burning up the DNA in my system that was fueling it. It came down to where I could only use it about one more time and I was saving it for the tournament as a last ditch trump card against _you_ Goku. But now I feel that it's pretty much gone. It's one other reason why I'm retiring from fighting. Maybe I might have enough for one or two more small times or maybe I don't. But that would be it and I don't know. I just don't have it anymore." somewhat remorsefully exlained Yamcha. "Well that's a shame to hear. It's sad losing you like this. But still I hope that if ever we need you, that we can count on your help." said Goku as he held out his hand. Yamcha smirked right back. "Count on it." simply replied Yamcha as he gave it a shake.

"Well ladies and gentlemen. I hope you could bare with us as we cleaned up and repaired the ring. But now that the time is finally here, let's get on with the first semi-final match! It's the young unstoppable prodigy and Junior World Champion Gohan Son versus the ever mysterious and unpredictable Mystery Fighter X!" announced the announcer. The announcement was overheard by the Z-Fighters in the lounge and it came over like an unwelcome thunder storm. "Well, looks like this is it." calmly said Gohan, game face ready. Everyone turned their gaze over to the mysterious short hoded figure leaning against the wall in the corner. The glares, the observations of his matches, the rise of tension whenever Gohan was around. This figure had made it overtly public to the Z-Fighters that he wanted a match with Gohan.

"This guy's a wild card. Remember the way he took out Chiaotzu. Keep your guard up." advised Goku with a hand to the shoulder. Clearly he was worried, although he didn't show it with his serious face, it was clear to anyone who knew him. "Right!" was all Gohn said with an affirmative nod. But just as he moved further forward, he was confronted by a worried faced Videl. "You be careful out there. That guy scares me." pleadingly said Videl, worry clear in her voice and a slight tinge of fear as she cast a small glance the way of the mysterious figure. "Don't worry, I will. And you want to know a little secret? I'm a little scared of him too." admitted Gohan. Videl was a little shocked at this. She'd always seen gohan as a bit of a paragone of strength to her. The boy who had been doing this almost all his life and who had faced down threats ten times more powerful than she was. Was intimidated by a simple hooded figure. But she guessed that even _he_ was a little kid and was just as scared about all this as her. She gave him a hug that was partway goodbye and partway goodluck. And then, he was off.

Gohan arrived on the outside of the entrance to the lounge with his mysterious hooded opponent standing next to him at the ready. With his game face on, he spared a glanced at his hooded foe. Tension was in the air as the Z-Fighters could feel it. Finally they were going to see what this wild card was all about. The match that he was obviously waiting for and by detraction they had all been waiting for was about to happen. The destined opponents wearily made their way to the ring. Like a pair of single minded twins they made their way down the path with equal steady movement, neither one wanting the other to get ahead or behind as the made their way up.

"Young Gohan has already proven himself in the ring and his accomplishments shouldn't be a mystery to any of you here today. Having captured the World Junior Title earlier today and earning the right to become the youngest participant in the Adult Division. Fighting through two back-to-back hard fought matches against some formidable opponents to get to the semi-finals. This prodigal son of a former World Champion seems destined to capture the world gold someday. And if he manages to beat his opponent he just might accomplish this here today when he moves to the finals! His opponent is also accomplished, having made quick work of veteran fighter Chiaotzu in the first round. He may have gotten a bye in the quarter-finals, but that doesn't make this mystery fighter any less dangerous. As his match with poor Chiaotzu demonstrated. He may keep his appearance wrapped in a cloak, but mysteries can often prove deadly. He's sure to be a formidable foe for our young prodigy." introduced the announcer, to both participants.

By the end of the announcer's little introduction speech, both participants were in the ring. Gohan staring daggers into the black hood where the eyes would've met, while both their capes billowed in the wind, like a pair of gunslingers ready for a showdown. "Well, you wanted me didn't you? Well here I am! So where do we go from here?" posed Gohan. "Oh? I've wanted this alright! You have no idea how much _wanted this_! And when you see me you'll learn _exactly_ why I hate you so much. And when you do you'll _want_ me to be beating you!" angrily responded a dark voice coming from the hood. It was then that he pulled back his hood to reveal the face behind the hood all this time and sending the crowd to a gasp. Gohan too gasped as he saw the face of the young boy underneath the hood. It was a face he distinctly recognized, it was younger and accompanied by one of the strangest hairstyles he'd ever seen, but it was definitely the distinct face of a younger version of Broly.

_(Imagine a guy with jet black hair in a sort of like as if __Sasuke Uchiha's__ from __Naruto__'s duckbutt style if it was set in an acorn shape on the end and having small sharp spikes lining the shape. Or, more like similar to a combination of Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho, and Jin Kazama from Tekken. With one noticeable spike in the middle of the crown of hair, going from the start of the hairline, to the top of the crown of spikes. Similar to the top spike lining the crown of Sasuke's duckbutt style. A pair of solitary spaghetti bangs framing on the sides of his face similar to those of __Muku__ from __Naruto Shippuden Movie 5: Blood Prison__, only except only a bit more sharper on the back, like in the shape of an upside down cartoon pirate's sword cutlass. Those bangs were connected to the top sides of his head by twin spikes shaped like backwards tulip petals on each side. Add to that imagine his forward hairline being parted on both sides similarly like __Sasuke Uchiha__ except in a more "boxed" appearance similar to like that of __Akiza Izinski__ from __Yu-gi-oh 5Ds__ only except delete the curl in her hair and making it look like he has a tall forehead. Add on to that a face similar to normal __Broly__'s and you've got my new OC, __Brody__.)_

"Oh!? I recognize you! You-you're Broly!? But how can you still be alive!?" exclaimed Gohan. "Ah! So you recognize my face? Well good! But you're only partly right. My name is Brody, and I am the son of Broly. And I'm finally here to take revenge for my father." declared the now revealed to be Brod. "So all of this is for just a grudge?" asked Gohan, finally understanding what this was all about. "Yes indeed." was the quick response, as Brody seemed to be salivating at the thought of it. "Okay, I guess that's fine. But could you answer me this? How on Earth does that man have a son and how did you get here?" asked Gohan, although his face was set on a distinctly hard nose setting as he was prepared to listen seriously to this.

"I'm very glad you asked. You see, my father arrived on Earth to secretly scout it out some years ago when he was around twenty years old. But during his mission he found and rescued my mother from some thugs. He slaughtered them before her and in gratitude my mother tried to get to know her rescuer. They spent the day together as he explained his past and the nature of who he was. My mother said she felt sorry for him, losing his home planet, the burden of his terrifying power that he was born with and then being forced to be shackled by his own father. My mother would later say that she saw a certain sensitivity buried deep inside his subdued husk of an expression, but also with enormous hidden strength hidden beneath that. She said that she couldn't help but feel attracted to it. And that night I was conceived. My father soon left off for space soon after that at the calling of my grandfather. My mother said that she was sure that the only reason the Earth wasn't maybe destroyed that day or later was because of n a whim he did it for her subconsciously. She's said she's sure that he didn't report about her or the Earth when he came back to his father and that's why they didn't attack us then." explained Brody. "So... I guess that makes you half- Human and half-Saiyan as well? Well we can thank Broly and your mother for saving the day back then also huh?" sarcastically edged Gohan, still looking at him with a hard edge.

"Yes, but hold on, the story isn't over yet. Oh no sir! You see I was born about a year after you were, and I was born with less than half the power of my father. At first I didn't know what to make about it, these strange powers I was seeming to be having. Eventually my mother told me about my father and to type of power he was born with. Although I was born with nowhere near the powers of my father, they were still powerful enough to cause me problems on this planet. I grew to wanting how to learn how to control it and so I threw myself into martial arts. I saw you and your friends battling the Saiyans on tv and I grew up being inspired by you. I went all over the world in training myself in various techniques. But it was never enough to cope with controlling my raging powers. Then one day I saw you fight and defeat Cell at the Cell Games. The way you got control of your own raging powers impressed me and I wanted to be like you. I started training in what I learned to be your techniques, but it was still not enough. Then one day we received a messenger. It was one of the escaping soldiers from my grandfather's army. He explained to us what went down up in space and how you ruthlessly defeated and killed my father. And that was when we decided to take our revenge on _YOU_. I rededicated myself and my training to defeat you. My hero and the boy I admired most! And now I've come back to embarrass you on the grandest stage possible!" eagerly declared Brody. Evil, sick, twisted, demented smile etched across his face. Gohan met that face with an equally determined game face of his own. "I have just three words for you. _Bring_... _it_... _on_!" said Gohan.

"Disqualificationnn!" suddenly called out the announcer. "What!?" collectively shouted back both Gohan and Brody. "Mystery Fighter X, or should I say Brody has revealed himself to be too young to be participating in this tournament and therefore must be disqualified." declared the announcer. "What!? I'm _thirteen_ years old and he's only _eleven_! He's even younger than me and yet you let him compete don't you?" protested Brody. "Contestant Gohan earned the right through official chanels by winning the World Junior contest and then qualified for the Adults Tournament provided he prove himself on the punching machine. He did that and proved that he was too strong for the juniors and earned his position. You however clearly falsified your age." countered the announcer.

"Grrrrrr! Well this match is going to happen right here right now weither it's legal or not. I came here to beat Gohan and that's exactly what I'm going to do! But if your going to be so insistent, then I could just blast you here and now and then be done with it you annoying pest!" declared Brody as he leveled his hand and prepared to fire and carry out his threat. The announcer guy recoiled in fear. "Wait! There's no need for that. He qualified on the punch machine same as me so he's also proven himself too strong for the juniors as well. So there wouldn't be anywhere else he could compete at right?" Gohan posed, trying to alleviate the situation and reverse the judges. "Well... I guess your right. But he still falsified his age." tried to counter the announcer guy. "Not true, I'll bet he didn't even put down his age when he signed up under his mystery identity. So it's not exactly like he "lied" about his age." Gohan said, a smirk appearing as he turned to his opponent. "... Yes..." begrudgingly admitted Brody, clear not comfortable with admitting that the person he'd designated his personal rival was right. "Well huh...I..." tried to stammer out another counter did the announcer, but none forthcoming. He turned to the judges for support or guidance but they just shrugged their shoulders having no idea. "Besides, this match is happening weither you make it legal or not. I don't think this guy will let down and I don't think I can help myself either. Why don't you just make it legal and save us all some trouble." suggested Gohan, not keeping his eyes or smirk away from Brody.

The announcer looked around as chants started to pick up around the audience. "LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT! LET THEM FIGHT!" came the chorus of the crowds. The chants continued and continued, egging on and building to a frenzy until the announcer and likewise the judges were left with no other choice. "FINE! THE MATCH WILL CONTINUE! Gohan versus Myste... oh excuse me. I mean Gohan versus Brody, let the match BEGIN!" came the announcement and everyone in the audience cheered. Gohan and Brody looked at each other with equally eager grins. The match was on and they both loved it. A grudge match on epic proportions was about to take place.

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**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, now you've finally found out who the mystery fighter was all this time. Next chapter I'm going to go more into his origin. But hopefully you were satisfied with this turn around. I hope you like the "look" I described for my character and that he was as easily imaginable for you as he was for me.**

**So I hope you enjoyed my introduction to my new character, Brody. I realize that I'm not the first one to come up with a character like this, but I could only go with inspiration and taking bits of this and that that I've seen before in order to make this brand new character my own.**

**I hope you can forgive for such a simplish character, but I'm not too creative when it comes to creating original characters. For example, this one alone took _years_ for me to hammer out. I'm just not that good with coming up with original "looks" and names especially. That's why I only limited myself to this _one_ character. I much prefer working with already made characters, which aren't so hard to imagine because you already have reference on what they look like. But then again, that's just me. But anyway, just hope you enjoyed.**


	22. The Origins of Brody

**Chapter: 22**

_**:The Origins of Brody**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Gohan and Brody both stood glaring at each other. Gohan with a serious expression, Brody with the same serious eyes but with a small eager smirk instead of the frown that Gohan was wearing. They now stood almost face-to-face close up and glaring holes in each other. One could almost see the electrical sparks shooting between their eyes. Eventually they broke off and stepped back a few feet to get some distance so that the match could begin.

Brody took the opportunity to tuck his arms under the sleeves of his cloak and then had his arms open the front of the cloak from the inside. He parted his cloak to the back like a cape and revealing what he had underneath. He was basically wearing what looked similar to a green and blue version of the Turtle School uniform like that of Goku's. The overshirt and pants were a lime green color. A sash similar to Gohan's own or that of his father were currently wearing, but being a deep blue. The undershirt was a dark blue, almost black purplish color. And the wristbands that were bright red and the outfit was completed with boots similar to those of his father Brody's boots. He had a similar build to the unpowered Brody, if built into on a slightly smaller package as he was still just a few inches taller than Gohan.

The tension between to was great. Both of them waiting, waiting for the first move to be made. Then suddenly, as if by some simultanious signal that only true fighters could sense, both fighters sensed as if a switch had gone off in their heads at simultanious moments. It was the sense of that moment of opportunity to take advantage, to take the moment if you will and both fighters had felt it. The moment to start the fight.

Both Gohan and Brody simultaniously lunged for each other. They met midair several feet above the middle of the ring and engaged in trading punches, knees and kicks that were fast enough to be blurs. After a short while of fighting in midair they kicked off and separated, both flipping away and landing right back into a standing position.

But Brody wasn't done there. As he used his left foot to kick off the ground and head right for Gohan almost as soon as they'd landed. He tried a sliding kick just as if he was sliding for home base in a baseball game except that he used his left hand to stand on the ground and have his body a few inches off the ground. But Gohan was ahead of him as he just leaped over him and then used his hand to stand on Brody's head and to flip over him. Then he used his momentum to grab the back of his collar and throw him back once his feet were on the ground. Brody was sent flying over the ring but he tucked his legs in and rolled with it in order to flip himself right back to a standing basis.

They were now right back where they'd started just like as if the whole thing never happened. Both of them had just been testing the waters with each other. Testing each other like in an opening skirmish, just to probe each others limits and to gauge each others strengths and to try and find a tipping point.

But then, as soon as when they both went into their standing bases they both went into stances. But when they went into stances they went into the exact same stances. (Imagine that they both went into Gohan's stance that he used right when he was about to start the bout with Cell as a Full Powered Super Saiyan.) And Gohan noticed as did all the other Z-Fighters noticed that it wasn't him copying the style, but _exactly_ the stance right down to the last detail. Gohan thought that he couldn't do a better jod himself. But as Gohan thought back, it wasn't just the stance that was identical but in their initial skirmish the way he fought was _exactly_ as his style. Gohan couldn't think that it would be more precise if he was looking at a mirror. And tactically, it was just what he was doing, looking in a mirror. That sent alarm bells flowing in his head. But Gohan didn't let it shown as he somehow managed to keep his poker face.

"Well, you're pretty good. But just copying my moves won't win you this match." Gohan fired off. That seemed to strike a small cord as Brody's demeanor seemed to twitch to a frown for a split second. But it only lasted for that split second as he switched to a smirk immediately afterwards. "_Oh_! It's more than just copying. But then, you'll see that in a second. It's time I showed you out who I _really_ am." Brody said cryptically. "What the hell do you mean?" questioned a confused and slightly unnerved Gohan. "Oh, _You'll_ see. It's time to show you the fruits of your own DNA." cryptically answered Brody as he then went into what they called the "power up stance". With him standing straight with arms spread apart at his sides with his forearms at an angle at his waist as he looked to power up something.

The loose pieces of tiles and ground in and around the ring began to levitate inches off the ground like as if gravity had been shut off. The air around Brody simmered and distorted like a hot summers eve as the air was permeated with power as Brody grunted and hissed with effort from his power up but with all the time with a self-satisfying grin on his face. A look of confusion seemed etched on Gohan's face as if he was asking 'What the hell is this bastard doing?' to himself as the familiar energy he was sensing was becoming closer and closer to his own.

Then suddenly the tiles at Brody's feet cracked and chunks of them jutted out around the area of his feet. Then, before you know it, a flash occured and when it faded, Brody was shown wearing the signature golden hair of the Super Saiyan. As well as enwrapped by the signature golden aura that pulsated around him like a fierce wildfire. His hair had changed color but it didn't look too different from before except blond and the "crown" of his head being more spiky then before. The cape/cloak billowed upwards from the wind of his power as his aura kept fiercely raging around him. But then his aura became accompanied by pulsating blue electricity. The smirk that he had worn at the start of his power up never ceased despite the fact that he was straining to power up. The satisfaction of what he was doing was obvious as it was written on that smirk that he carried.

The shock that was on Gohan's face and indeed all of the Z-Fighters faces was overwhelming. "Did you guys see that!? He just transformed into a Super Saiyan! And not just a normal Super Saiyan but an Super Saiyan 2 like Gohan!" exclaimed Goku as he and rest watched with shocked expressions. "It's not only that, but do you feel that? He has _exactly_ the same energy as Gohan. It's like I'm feeling _two_ Gohan's." exclaimed Piccolo as even he wore a shocked expression, for him at least.

Brody then, having already finished his transformation just let himself power down. His cape/cloak dropping down as he powered down but he left his transformation on. It was just now that his aura remained more normal-like and only slightly pulsating and everything else around wasn't chaotic anymore. Gohan however, continued to look shocked with his mouth gaping open. "Wait a minute! What the hell!? How did you DO that? How did you become a Super Saiyan 2 like that? And how is it that you have _my_ energy!?" question confused and slightly perturbed Gohan. "It's because my body's been embued with _your_ DNA. I now have _your_ power flowing through my veins!" Brody responded with a smirk that said 'stick it in your face'.

"Huh!? What? But how?" asked Gohan, completely stunned at this revelation. "You didn't think that Dr. Gero was the only brilliant scientist in town did you? It just so happens that my mother is also a scientist, a brilliant bio-engineer. Dr. Gero may have been a genius at cyber-robotics but a bio-chemist he was not. You don't think that he could've come up with those bio-engineered freaks like Cell through only the use of his own robotic expertise did you?" explained Broly. "So are you saying that your mother worked with that monster Gero? That she was the one responsible for him creating those monsters and Cell?" Gohan rhetorically questioned, his eyes narrowing. "While my mom did work with Gero at one point, she was hardly an accomplice to his schemes. She broke off with him long before he got around to creating his androids. But she nonetheless left behind some of her expertise for him to pick up. Though there's no doubt that her work was the foundations for which Gero made his later research. You can definitely see her work in Cell." Brody .Jr explained, feeling rather proud of his mothers' accomplishments.

"So she wasn't exactly responsible for his doings huh? But how exactly did she get a hold of my DNA?" asked Gohan, still curious as to from where exactly they'd gotten it. "Well, you remember those little tiny robots that Gero used to spy on your dad? My mom got a hold of a few of them when she parted ways with him. It was how we were able to keep tabs on your family and watch your adventures for ourselves. It was at the Cell Games. You remember that don't you? You were gravely injured and your arm was bleeding pretty bad? We thought that, after watching you fight in that battle and how you controlled your power, that _this_ might be the answer we were looking for. That this might be the way for me to finally control my powers. It was then that it became paramount that we get your DNA and use it ourselves. Getting the DNA wasn't that hard to do. Afterall you did bleed out pretty good on that day, so collecting some was no problem." Brody explained. Gohan once again narrowed his eyes at that.

"So... It was back then that you did it... So how is it that you have seem to have such control over your powers? Mixing Human and Saiyan DNA can't be that easy, and especially with my powers, not to mention your own powers and DNA as well." Gohan questioned. "I guess you would be right. My mom created the technology that was used to embue my body with your DNA. But the fact that I had already half-human and half-Saiyan DNA in my system made it a bit easier for my body to adapt to it properly. But even after that the process it took months for my body to adjust to the new DNA and adapt to a new physiology. It took the rest of this last year before I could train myself effectively to use it. But thanks to a Time Chamber my mother invented, I managed to train twice as many hours as I would in normal time and thanks to that I'm now two years older that when I was. I'm about a year older than you now and I'm better capable of controlling my powers. Now I'm both physically ready to take you on and in enough control of my powers to take you on. Now I have all your power, all your experience, all your techniques are inside me now. And now I'm going to prove that I'm a better me and a better you and an even hybrid than _you_!" raved Brody with a crazed look in his eye and a sick sneer on his face. And in that moment, Gohan understood. He could see all the pent up frustration, rage, jealousy and all the ambition that was hidden behind those eyes. Meanwhile, back somewhere in the seats, there was a pretty woman with long black hair and in a lab coat watching the proceedings. "Show him what you can do... son." almost whispered the woman as if in a silent hopeful prayer for herself as she watched.

Gohan lowered his head a bit, the shadows of his brow overshadowing his eyes. "*sigh* So that's how it is then huh? Well I guess this means your just a true copycat in the end. So let's _why not we see how you deal with the original article_!" yelled out Gohan as he suddenly lifted his head and showed his widened eyes and aggravated look on his face. Clearly the fact of his DNA stolen and used made him feel violated and in turn aggravated him, even with _his_ legendary mild temperament, in great quantities. He then went for his turn with his own transformation.

Gohan brought his arms at his sides, forearms angled away at his waist. Then, with a short, sharp but mighty yell, Gohan's aura exploded in a burst of golden yellow energy that raged around him like a torrent of fire. His hair was now a golden shade of blonde and stuck out straight up forming a crown of spikes except for one lonely band that stuck down around the middle of his forehead. His eyes were set in an almost permanent scowl with green eyes that burned with the intensity and coldness of his rage as he stared a hole through his opposition. The tiled floor at his feet cracked and chunks of broken tile jutted out sharply by the power of his energy. His muscles grew larger and more defined as his body grew in speed and in strength by quantum leaps. (Basically think of the way he looked when the first sequence he transformed against Cell in the anime. The sequence that came at the ending of the episode as opposed to the one where it was at the beginning. Like that except without the tears and with a Piccolo cape billowing upwards in the back.)

When the energy finally subsided, there revealed a totally new Gohan to the audience. Neither they nor the announcer guy could quite believe what they saw. This was IT, this must've been the power that the "Delivery Boy" from the Cell Games had used but that was misbroadcasted. But now they new, everyone didn't speak it, some even didn't want to believe it, but there it was. Now weither that the power defeated Cell or if Mr. Satan really did beat Cell no one in the audience dared to judge without seeing it themselves. But for right now sitting there and feeling the power up close it was hard to make a case that Mr. Satan was the one to do it. But they all kept that to themselves.

"Looks like Gohan is turning it up." blandly commented Goku though with a hint of nervousness coming through his voice. "Yeah, Gohan's at a point where he _has_ to unleash his power even though in front on these people. Looks like the situation is gotten that serious." said Piccolo in his gruff manner, but unmistakably to the Z-Fighters he was sounding worried. "Yeah, I guess so. But Wow! Seriously man! A battle between two Super Saiyan 2's, who'd have thought it?" exclaimed Yamcha as all eyes stared in amazement at the two in the ring.

"Excellent! This is exactly what I was waiting for!" exclaimed Brody, seemingly insane grin on his face. "You wanted the bull? _Now here come the HORNS_!" expressed Gohan violently with _intensity_ in his now new gruffer and intimidating voice. Things were about to get _seriously_ intense.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well now it's about to get it on. I hope you liked my original character and his origins. I know I get a tad too carried away with the references in the author's notes I bring. But it's only because I want to try to make things easier to imagine _exactly_ what it is I'm saying. It's not because I'm trying to talk down to anyone. I just want you to get the exact picture I've got in my mind****, when I feel that it's necessary****. And for those of you who don't get my references, they are there so that you can _refer_ to them yourselves and check them out. Since I don't know how to create links myself, I feel that this is the next best thing I can do.**


	23. A True Test of Powers

**Chapter: 23**

_**:A True Test of Powers**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Gohan and Brody suddenly zipped at each other as fast as blurs. When they met in the middle they both went for shots with their left arms that they simultaniously parried downwards at the wrist by the opponents' intervening fist. They then both went for counters with their free rights at above, but they both locked up their forearms just below the wrists. (_Sorta think of what __Naruto__ and __Dark Naruto__ did when they first locked up in the __Waterfall Of Truth__ in __Naruto Shippuden__._)

The two stayed there locked up, testing their strengths with each other and coming up at a deadlock. Competitive smiles adorned their faces as if they saw worthy competition in the other. But then Brody suddenly swiped his left arm up from under and sent a hand thrust, thrusting in a vertical slice, shooting for Gohan's face. But Gohan simply leaned his head to the side dodging it. Then Gohan used his free elbow from below to parry the offending arm upwards. But Brody countered by grabbing the wrist of Gohan's other arm that was still locked up with his own arm and while adding his already parried arm to grab the forehead and used them to pull it down. Gohan's free arm below was locked up too but he used it to grab Brody's arms and made sure that they were all locked up together.

With their arms locked up like this the two tried to push each other out of the deadlock and to whoever pushed the other out they would be at an advantage. First Brody tried to push and then Gohan tried to push. Back and forth they went but neither managed to push the other one away on their own. So then in a final push the two released each other and pulled apart. Then Gohan went for a heavy counter punch but Brody parried it, then Brody went for a counter and Gohan dodged it. The two then went to engage in a fast exchange of blurry punches and dodges. But then they both pulled apart and went for identical stances. (_Basically they both take up a similar stance to that of the __First Hokage __Hashirama__'s signature stance from __Naruto__._)

"Heh, looks like your style imitation is pretty good." bantered Gohan with a smirk. "Tch, like I said I share the same blood as you. I can do anything you can do." shot back Brody with his own smirk. The two then shot back at one another. Fist met fist, wrist met wrist and calve met calve as the two connected with identical movesets. Like a pair of mirrors facing each other they kept cancelling each other out as kept running into each other all over the ring. With their blows being so powerful that they created strong concussive waves as they connected.

But as their fighting grew more intense that way, they soon took their fight to the arena of the air. The both leapt up and vanished in blurs. The air just inside the arena and just above the stadium reverberated with concussive waves all over the place as the speed of the fight grew to faster than could visualized. Speeding lines of blurs could be seen coming to and fro from the concussive waves every now and then.

But then suddenly somewhere in the mid-skies the fight slowed down to where Gohan reappeared and then shortly thereafter Brody did too, hanging upside down in midair. They stared face-to-face with each other, speeding upwards with one looking at the other from an upside down perspective. With Brody just taunting Gohan with a flaunty smirk. Gohan angrily sneered at beeing taunted like that and so he then initiated combat. The two exchanged fast, blurry punches from the upside down position for a few tense moments. But then they seperated when the actions didn't come about anything for either way. The two flipped on their way down and righted themselves before touching down. Again they were at an even standstill, their capes billowing in a gust of wind, the atmosphere was tense.

"Hmph, I hafta say I'm actually impressed. It's impressive that you can actually duplicate not only my fighting style, but also the way I fight so thoroughly and to such a degree. I mean right down to almost the inflection in the way I move in my stances seem to be replicated. It seems even like you think the same way I do when I fight. We seem totally and completely evenly matched. But you're still just a copier, you can't beat me with my own fighting style like that. We'll only end up in a draw if this continues. But if this is all you've got then you might as well quit right now." shot out Gohan with battlefield banter. "Well, why don't I just put it to you in another way?" shot back Brody. And then Brody shot forward at high speed, initiating an attack.

Gohan blocked or dodged Brody's lazy aggressive attacks with relative ease. Leaping over a missed swing Gohan made straight up for the air with Brody in hot pursuit. While fighting in midair close to the clouds the two locked up with each other with their arms. But just as Gohan was holding him in place Brody suddenly grew a smirk. Apparently this was part of his plan as suddenly he grew a second self out of his back. The second Brody went for a punch over the shoulder of the first one who was still locked up with Gohan. But Gohan was still able to get over his surprise in time enough to release out of the hold and duck under the punch and dodging the attack.

From then on it was a two-on-one attack in midair with Brody obviously using the Multiform Technique to his advantage. Gohan was quite readily defending himself from the attacks rapid attacks even from two-on-one. Gohan then finally delivered a boot to the face of one of the clones and sent him flying straight up into the clouds and out of sight. Gohan then went about the business of fighting the last one but the clone managed to defend himself quite well and the two engaged in an even back and forth exchange. But while locked up with this clone, Gohan looked up and saw the second clone diving down straight at him from directly above. Gohan quickly reacted on sheer reflexes and pushed back out of his locked up position and backflipped out of the way. Barely avoiding the diving attack by inches from his toes as he was in mid flip, cape billowing out behind him and spoiling the attack as the clone went sailing past down in between the two that had separated. With the attack now foiled Gohan now made his way back down to the ground floor that was the ring. The two Brodys merged back into one and followed him back.

The two of them landed and were back at the same positions that they were at the start again. Gusts of wind still fluttering their capes/cloaks again, like a pair of gunslingers at a showdown. "Well, at least that was a little original. But if Piccolo couldn't make that attack work then what made you think it would work on me this time?" questioned Gohan, though it was more of a taunt. "Just trying to test your nerves a little. Hoping it would rattle you enough to take advantage." Brody taunted back. "Well it didn't work. And if hand-to-hand fighting techniques is all that you have then you're done. You're not going to beat me that way. Does your precious bloodline powers even incorporate energy techniques?" jabbed Gohan, calling him out on the fact that he hadn't shown any energy fighting techniques yet. "Grrrrr, fine! You want a show? I'll give you a show. I'll show you just what my bloodline powers affords me!" growled out Brody, clearly that last jab had gotten under his skin a little bit and aggravated him.

Brody leapt up backwards and hovered up just a few feet up off the ground in the air. He raised his hands up over his head and cupped them hand over palm over the other in a very familiar stance to Gohan. 'What!? But that's..." cried out Gohan in his mind as he was beside himself at seeing that attack. "Here you are! Straight from the horses mouths' playbook. **Masenkoo!**" yelled out Brody as he pushed his arms forward and sent out the familiar yellow beam.

Seeing his own trademark attack launched against him by his enemy stunned Gohan and made him pause for a split second. But then he looked back and saw that the attack would be heading for the audience. 'Oh no! It's headed for the audience!' Gohan screamed to himself in his mind. He would be forced to take it and he was betting that was just what his opposition wanted. Gohan knuckled down to defend himself and placed both arms out in front in cupped fashion much like he would for launching the Kamehameha in order to catch the attack. Gohan caught the attack and held it there. The blast recoiled itself into a giant ball of energy at about the size of Gohan's height. But Gohan grit his teeth and hung in there. The struggle between Gohan and the power ball of yellow energy was tense. But eventually after being held for so long that attack exploded in Gohan's face and scattered six ways around Gohan creating trails of smoke clouds along the ring floor. (_Think of the way __Recoome__ blocked Gohan's first Masenko in their fight in the anime._)

Smoke totally covered Gohan's form in a dark cloud of dust. Brody eagerly awaited the smoke to clear to see what damage he had inflicted. But when the smoke cleared it revealed Gohan standing on one knee. His cape was torn on it's right shoulder pad revealing the dark grey material underneath that composed of the pads. The cape itself was torn in a few places also but nothing too serious. Gohan then sat up to his full height and revealed what damage had been done as he glared upwards at his rival. Gohan himself had some spots of soot and dust on his clothes in some places and on his person in his cheeks, forehead and arms. But other then that he didn't look ruffled at all.

"Tch, I was at least hoping to do you a _little_ bit more damage than that." said Brody as he landed back down, clearly disappointed in the results of his attack. Gohan took off his now battle damaged cape and chucked it to the outside of the ring where it fell to the outside in loud a 'Crunch!' sound as it's heavy weight made itself indent on the ground. "Sorry to disappoint. But to think that your stolen DNA would allow you to perform even my Masenko attack so thoroughly. It really is quite impressive." said Gohan while he dusted himself off and cracked his neck. "It's just like I said earlier. Anything you can do, I can do too." said Brody as he looked on at him with an arrogant smirk. "Well, then I hate to break it to ya but that attack wasn't really as strong as it should've been. It was a little baby Masenko compared to what _I_ would do if I wanted to hurt someone. Now let's see if you can handle the _original_ attack. This I how it's supposed to be done copycat. Let's see how you deal with this!" taunted Gohan as he then brought his own hands up for the trademark attack.

Gohan fired his signature move and this attack came out even slightly bigger than the one Brody had launched just moments earlier. Brody couldn't believe that this attack was even bigger, more _intense_ and probably stronger than his own. Brody quickly braced himself by crossing up his arms in front of himself in an X in an attempt to block it. The attack hit and Brody managed to hold it but you could see that he was struggling. The _intensity_ was so that his cloak fluttered like crazy behind him. The attack just kept getting stronger and more intense as the resonance grew second by second as Brody continued to try to hold it. But eventually the attack grew overwhelming and Brody's cloak disintegrated to shreds from the intensity just before Brody was envelopped by the light, still holding on to his defense.

An explosion envelopped Brody and covered him with smoke. Gohan watched with careful anticipation as did the crowd to see what would come out. When the smoke eventually dissipated it revealed Brody, still holding his arms in an X but minus his cloak he'd used as a cape and with a few added burn marks and soot added to his clothing. Although other than that he looked fine. He released his position and judging by the ticked off look on his face he wasn't too pleased with the turn out of what just happened.

"Sorry! But you're going to have to do a lot better than that! That little baby move couldn't ever beat me!" shouted out Brody in frustration. "Oh yeah? Like your attack was any better? That Masenko of yours was so much weaker than what it should've been I'm surprised it even came out of you you copycat. If I hadn't been holding back you'd be nothing but a pile of ash right now." shouted back Gohan, now engaging in a shouting match.

"Gohan sure didn't mess around with that last Masenko." commented Goku. "Yeah, I'm surprised he even fired it at that level, right on the ground. With all those people there, that was dangerous." returned Yamcha as all the Z-Fighters watched with amazement. "Gohan probably saw that his opponent was strong enough to handle it and gutsy enough to try to prove his toughness by taking it head on." gruffly added Piccolo, looking on analytically with his arms crossed as always. "Yeah, that kid is definitely impressive all the same. To think that he can do all of Gohan's moves even right down to the Masenko is really amazing. At this point they're evenly matched." remarked Goku as he went back to watching.

Meanwhile, the trading of insults continued in the ring. "You've been doing nothing but copying my moves ever since we started this fight! Do you even _have_ any attacks of your own?" taunted back Gohan, sarcasm dripping his words. "Shut up! I've just been holding back on you that's all. You see yours is not the only moves I know. Remember that I was training and developping techniques for _years_ before I was given your blood. I have my own moves and powers in addition to your own. I'm clearly the superior fighter. And now it's time I show it." declared Brody. "Oh? Well that's good to hear. Because I've been holding back as well. You see I've been only toying with you up until this point, but no more. I've been training hard this last year and coming up with some new techniques. I'm way stronger than I was when I was at the Cell Games. This thing is far from over. So let's see what makes the difference between us in this fight. Either my new strength or your family's techniques?" posed Gohan. Glares that could melt steel was exchanged between the two shortly before they the shot fast for each other. Forearms clashed, electricity crackled in the form of an X between the two forearms as the two warriors clashed with daggers in their eyes. The gloves were coming off. Things were heating up.

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**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well I hope you're enjoying this epic fight so far.**


	24. Gohan vs Brody, A New Rivalry is Formed

**Chapter: 24**

_**:Gohan vs Brody**_

_**:A New Rivalry is Formed**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

The struggle between Gohan Son and Brody Junior was heating up. The gloves were now off. Gohan and Brody were now fighting ferociously with one another were they stood fighting in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Their forearms collided, their elbows used to swing viciously only to hit air, knees and calves collided in mutual attacks/blocks to each other. It was a more vicious style of fighting than what was usual, moves usually reserved for life-or-death situations to brutally maim or destroy opponents. But these two youngsters were now using them liberally. Things had gotten pretty personal between the two and it was showing now by the more brutal nature of their fighting. The gloves had indeed come off. But no matter how hard they were coming at each other, no one had yet to score a significant blow.

The two then vanished from their spot in fighting the middle of the ring and then reappeared several feet away and shot into each other at high speed and collided with each other with their forearms. They would then vanished and reappeared to collide with another set of moves. They repeated this process several times and each time seeming more brutal than the last. Then, after a while the two reappeared several feet in the air to clash. And then another several feet higher at another location. Pretty soon they were clashing all over the air.

But then Gohan took advantage of the monotony to trick Brody and after-imaged out of the way of one of Brody's attempted rushes. As Brody fell through the after-image, Gohan was able to come from behind and get the drop on him with a double ax-handle to the back that sent Brody flying to the ground. Brody hit close to the edge of the ring but he managed to recover quickly enough to quickly get back up to his feet. But when he got back up he noticed Gohan far above at a diagonal angle charging up with two fingers up to his forehead for was to come a very signature attack.

"**Special Beam Cannon!**" called out Gohan as the familiar yellow corkscrew beam appeared from his fingers. But Brody was able to react sharply and promptly deflected it by swatting it away similarly like Gohan himself had done to Cell at one point during their fight. But when the attack detonated harmlessly above, the yellow glow was still present when Gohan fazed in from behind to try to deliver take advantage by sneaking a punch but got caught. Brody then made an overhand Judo-like throw but Gohan was able to flip with the move upon release and landed on his feet much like a cat, his feet sliding on the floor a few feet just from force of the throw.

But Brody immediately wanted to follow up with an attack and rushed in for a shot at the jaw but Gohan blocked it. That then started another sequence of high speed attack and defense with Gohan being mostly stepping back on the backfoot. But the aggressive attack of Brody finally won through and he landed a punch to Gohan's right cheek. It staggered Gohan a bit but he came right back and countered with a deep shot to the gut. The two then traded shots back and forth about three more times before Gohan had had enough of these hardcore shot exchanges and leapt out of the way over an incoming swing. He then rose backwards into the air several feet up.

But as soon as he'd stopped at a safe distance then Brody fazed in from behind with a fist cocked back. But when he delivered his strike then Gohan vanished before he could make contact without even having to turn back. Gohan reappeared to try to give a back-elbow only to fall for the same thing from Brody. Brody came back for a double ax-handle of his own but hit nothing but empty air in turn. Time and time and time again both fighters tried to get the drop on the other only to have their prey vanish on them and be countered in turn in the same way. This running battle vanishing behind the other finally ended when Gohan finally was the one to finally get the drop on his opponent and deliver a punch that landed flush and sent Brody flying. Clearly Gohan's overall greater _actual_ experience of fighting at this level proved to come in handy.

But when Gohan tried to follow up on the already midair recovered Brody, he wound up running into an after-image. Gohan immediately turned around suspecting another immediate counter from the back. And Brody was indeed coming from the back but he did it in a way that Gohan had not anticipated. He ducked under Gohan's expected counter and merely tagged him in the stomach with a glowing red hand. "**Broly Family Style: All-Encasing Explosive Orb.**" called out Brody as Gohan was immediately encased in a large green energy orb. "What the heck is this!?" flustered Gohan as he was trapped. "This is one of my own techniques I developped from my father's powers I was talking about. It encases you in a shield that'll explode with you inside the instant it touches anything else but me." explained Brody, gloating with a sick smirk as if he thought he had him. 'So, in other words it's just like Frieza's technique.' thought Gohan, recalling the time how Frieza had used a similar technique on his father when they were fighting on Namek.

Not wanting to waist any time, Brody then slapped down the orb like he would a volleyball and sent it and the trapped Gohan inside careening down to the ground. When it hit the ground outside the ring in a medium sized explosion. The explosion might have not been huge but it was meant to be intense on the _inside_ of the blast as opposed to create a large area of devastation. Brody had a smile on his face as he watched the fireworks but his elation quickly turned to a frown when the smoke from the explosion revealed to have nothing there. He cast a glance to his rear and indeed Gohan reappeared not far behind him and was removing his two fingers from his forehead. He was looking at him with an icy cold look of contempt.

Meanwhile, back at the lounge, the Z-Fighters were agape at the revelation they had just witnessed. "Huh!? Gohan knows the Instant Transmission!?" exclaimed a completely shocked Goku. "Yeah? When on Earth did he learn that?" asked Yamcha, voicing thoughts and the expressions of all the Z-Fighters at that point.

"How did you escape that?" asked Brody, clearly wanting to know the source for his foiled attempt and giving a look of cold contempt as he turned to face Gohan. "Instant Transmission..." was his only answer. "Your father's technique?" questioned Brody, his eyes startled in surprise. "Yeah... I managed to learn it on my own during this last year. I guess you could say I learned it with the help of an outside "excursion" while out of training. But I also learned how to do the Special Beam Cannon during my training. That's also why you didn't know about me having Instant Transmission. Because you only have my powers from before the Cell Games and not after. That was why you didn't use it earlier by shooting one at mine and countering it that way. It was because you couldn't." calmly deduced Gohan, clearly showing his analytical skills.

Brody could only smirk at his opponents' and his personnally designated rivals' deductive skills. "Very good, veeeeeery clever indeed with figuring that out. But don't get it in your head that your the only smart one here. My mother was a scientist so she imparted me with lots of knowledge too. So I'm pretty smart too. So don't go along thinking that your smarter than me. But otherwise, quite impressive with learning the Instant Transmission. It makes me curious as to what other new techniques you've been hiding from your new training. But don't forget that I still have lots of my own secret family techniques to bust out in this match. This match isn't over yet. Not by a mile!" declared Brody, determination blazing in his eyes. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to see further on in the fight." said Gohan with a smirk. "Yes, now let's get on with it." responded Brody with his own smirk which mirrored Gohan's.

The two of them then lowered themselves back down to the ring floor and readied themselves for another round. Both of them flared their Super Saiyan 2 auras so that they would be at maximum output for when they would clash this time. They then leapt at each other and it was ON! They connected with their fists to each of their faces and the resulting impact was so strong that it created a concussion from their collision. But it didn't end there. They then started to fight toe-to-toe at high speed right in the middle of the ring. But they were fighting with more wild abandon this time and they landed blows on each other every now and then. Both guys would get rocked sending sweat and spittle flying but they would just come right back for more. Their fighting was so fierce that little chunks of broken tiles and rocks floated from the ground and the earth rumbled from the sheer weight of their power and their blows. (_Basically like the way when Goku and Cell fought after Cell regenerated his head and they fought toe-to-toe. Basically think of that spot._) Everybody in the audience and especially the announcer could feel the power coming off of them judging from the ground rumbling at their feet. Finally they both connected with punches to the head simultaniously. That made them both step back reeling. But then they both recovered and leapt up, simultaniously vanishing in a haze as they did so.

Then an air ripple formed in the air just above where they were. And then another not far away. And then another and another and another. Pretty soon the sky was filled by the ripples of concussive waves. The ripples would come from around the inside of the stadium and in the skies above it but they didn't seem to reach a ceiling higher than about halfway between the height of the stadium stands and the clouds. The two fighters were keeping tight control of the area in which they fought and were apparently keeping themselves in an enclosed area around the stadium.

Eventually the fight wore down to where the two started reappearing in the ring. Appearing in and out while skidding while locked it combat, dodging one or the others attacks. As they would come in and out they would leave clouds of dust from the sudden force of their appearance. They appeared all over the ring.

Finally someone scored a hit, and it was Brody, who scored with an uppercut that sent Gohan reeling with spittle flying. Gohan wasn't about to be outdone yet. He quickly countered with a back-elbow to the side of the head. Then it was Brody's turn to strike back and with that it quickly became a potato match in which both sides just hit each other back-and-forth. Finally they came where they were locked into each other with their arms twisted in an interlocked set of grappling positions. The two blasted their powers up to overdrive trying to out-power the other. Their twin golden auras shot up in the air as they flared their powers and the winds blew pebbles and dust all over the place around them.

The young warriors were now face-to-face almost touching each other. "You know? For a guy who's my enemy, you have qualities I could like." said Gohan with a smirk, pushing forward in the struggle as he spoke. "And you've proven to be truly the strongest boy in the world. You're much tougher than I ever imagined you to be. You've indeed proven to be a worthy adversary. When I win it'll just be all the more satisfying to beat you." bantered back Brody as he pushed back in counter as he was saying it. "Well ain't... that... just... _Fine_!" said Gohan, grunting in between his words as he pushed back with the force of each word.

With that they both went for game changers when pushing through wasn't serving any use so they both untangled an arm and went for simultanious haymakers. They both struck each other and wound up in a mirrored pose with their fists lodged in their cheeks. They then both hopped away to recover themselves for a bit. Both were a little more bruised, both had their clothes a little more slightly tattered from their latest little run in. But neither were any less ready too get it on once more and once they regrouped themselves, they started eyeing each other and studying their opponents looking for a weakness to exploit for their next move.

Then finally, Brody gave a really wily grin. He then put his hands together in front of his chest right around the pectoral muscles area with both index fingers pointed straight. _(Think of the __Tiger Seal__ from __Naruto__ except only with one finger each.)_ "Try this one on for size. **Family Style: Mouth Beam Blast!**" called out Brody before he opened his mouth to as great an extent as it would go and unleashed a red beam of intense pure energy. The stream of the beam was about as thick as a Masenko but it was as intense as a pure laser beam. _(Basically it's a really thick red laser beam.)_ It was so fast that Gohan _barely_ had time to even react. It was just by pure reflexes that he was able to catch it. He caught it but it was hard to keep a grip on. For those brief few seconds that he was holding it, it was singing his hands. Finally the beam deflected and went straight up into the stratosphere and out of sight.

Little puffs of smoke still emanated from Gohan's hands as evidenced how the beam had burnt him. Although Gohan wanted to desperately blow on them to ease the pain. But he couldn't let it show that it bothered him while he was in the middle of a fight. But it was still bothering him on the inside about how the beam had actually hurt _him_ while he was still in his Super Saiyan 2 form. It truly had been a dangerous technique. It really did feel to him that it was like holding laser fire.

But now was the time for a counter-attack, so Gohan shook it off and got ready. Gohan decided to use one of his new techniques to do it. If Brody wanted to show off his fancy new family techniques, then he guessed he would respond in kind with his own new techniques. He cocked his hands back at the sides of his torso and soon blue balls of glowing energy appeared in the palms of his open hands. "Hey! Here's a new technique from me to you! Hope you enjoy! **Double Kamehameha!**" shouted Gohan as he pushed his arms forward and and two bright blue beams that were scaled down versions of the Kamehameha beams launched from Gohan's hands. One from each hand and they ran side-by-side with each other right for their target.

Brody saw them incoming and immediately knew that he couldn't get hit with that. So he jumped up and the twin beams sailed harmlessly underneath him and exploded harmlessly a few feet from where he'd stood. But Gohan followed it up by following after him by disappearing and reappearing in front of him with super speed. But Brody blocked the incoming punch with his forearm and from then on the two started fighting again. They kept fighting as they rose higher and higher in the air in a running fight. But then Brody got the drop on Gohan by flipping upside down and delivering a kick. But Gohan was able to bring his arms up above his head in a block but the force of the kick was still able to send him flying downwards. Gohan landed on his feet a few feet away from the edge of the ring and with his hands still in their blocking position. Apparently _he_ hadn't budged from the kick, but due to there being nothing for him to brace himself while in the air and due to virually no resistance to the air, he was sent down.

Gohan looked up menacingly at his aerial opponent and growled through clenched teeth while making a fist. He didn't appreciate that last ride. Broly jr for his part also looked down at Gohan with clenched teeth of his own. The dislike between the two was palpable. Then, as if on cue, with no one saying a thing, as if thinking the same thing, both fighters started going for their major signature energy attacks. Gohan started cupping his hands forward and then bringing them back to his side for the ever famous Kamehameha. Meanwhile, Brody was cupping his hands further up, up to about level with his head. Not only that but he brought them up to opposite side of where Gohan was cupping his. His feet were in a pose similar to how Vegeta gut when went for the Gallic Gun on Earth. Now red energy that was wildly fluctuating surrounded Brody and red or rather bright orange colored bolts of electricity electrified the aura of energy as Brody charged up his attack. _(Imagine it being just like how Vegeta charged up his __Gallic Gun__ in the original fight on Earth only except the enegy is colored red and his hands are cupped up a little further upwards.)_

Gohan's blue ball of brightly shining energy burst to life in his cupped hands as he looked up determinedly at his opponent while Brody charged up his attack. Both guys should've known that it was dangerous to launch these attacks in this setting and at this angle. About how if Brody hit the earth flush that it would destroy the Earth. But neither fighter was thinking about any of that stuff. They were long past thinking rationally at this point. At this point they were just going on instinct and so they were thinking of one thing. '_DESTROY THEIR OPPONENT_!' That was the one overriding concern that their minds were concerned with right now and they were fixing on how best it was of going on about it.

"**Kaeric Cannon!**" screamed out Brody as he called out the name of his personal move. "**KamehameHAAAAAA!**" likewise screamed out Gohan as he called out his own attack. Brody threw his hands forward and launched a red beam while Gohan flew out the unmistakable legendary bright blue beam. Brody's beam was of similar design as the Kamehameha with a bright white center and edged with red lines but with a more streamlined "bulb" at the top and with pulps of white electrical sparks trailing along the "beam" of the blast. Both of the beams were only about as "thick" as the beams that were used between Goku and Vegeta when dueled on Earth.

The two beams collided and the clash was enough to send massive winds crashing through the arena. But the red and blue beams didn't budge an inch as both beams were evenly matched in the power struggle. It was still a beautiful sight for the Z-Fighters to see such a display of colour and power so perfectly matched face off against one another. But although beautiful, this much use of energy it was still planet threatening power and that was still unnerving for the Z-Fighters no matter what. They should just be glad that this blast duel face-off was nowhere near as powerful as what they were truly capable of at their levels of power. It brought an air of reminiscence as the Z-Fighters were caught thinking about Vegeta and Goku and about their duel and how eeriely similar this was to this. Coming to think of it, replace purple with red and change the settings and this would be an exact duplicate of that situation. It seemed that fighting brought out and bred the best rivals.

After a while of Gohan and Brody keeping up their duel. The beams couldn't overcome each other and so it came to a head that the beams cancelled each other out. There was a great flash of white as the beams detonated and for a second or two all anyone could see was white. Then the light faded and it revealed the stadium unaffected and all traces of the beams were gone. There was debris of chunks of broken tiled floor around the position where Gohan had been. Gohan got up from under this debris while lifting a large chunk from off of his back. Although a little dustier than before, Gohan didn't look any worse for wear as he stood up to his full height. He looked up and he could make out Brody tumbling head-over-heels upwards into the shy. It was clearly a result of the backlash from the blasts cancelling each other out. Gohan smirked at this. It looked like they were lucky and that they didn't cause much _more_ damage with that last little stunt.

Though although the two had just called in their major calling card attacks, the Z-Fighters were relieved all the same that the danger had been averted. "Man, did you see those two go at it? It's lucky that the attacks cancelled out like that. Otherwise..." Yamcha trailed off, not wanting to get into it. "Otherwise this stadium or even the Earth might've been gone. It's just lucky that the attacks weren't all that powerful and that their control is so good or that they didn't start pouring more power into the struggle." finished Piccolo. The rest of the Z-Fighters just nodded along and went back to watching.

Gohan waited for his opponent to come back and soon enough he'd recovered and came back flying into the stadium. He landed and once again they were staring face to face. But this time there was something different. They both smirked and there was a look in their eyes. It was a look few could understand what it meant. It was a look that said that these two understood each other in a fundimental way that no others could. It was a look of pure rivals. Somewhere during this fight the two had reached the level where they regarded each other with a respect and loathing that they could give to no one else. It was difficult to see, but it was definitely there. Watching this from the back, Piccolo, Goku and Vegeta gave each other looks from watching it.

At that point both Gohan and Brody wordlessly moved into stances that were all too familiar. Gohan was in the very same stance as his father had initially done when he'd faced Vegeta for the first time. Brody for his part slid into Vegeta's iconic stance from the very same fight. "Kakarot!? Do you see what I see?" exclaimed Vegeta. "Yeah, I do but I don't quite believe it myself." dumbly responded Goku. Piccolo for his part just smirk at this. "Heh, looks like Gohan's finally found his own personal rival." simply said Piccolo. Nothing else needed to be said.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well there you have it, I hope you liked this awesome epic match so far. I really wanted to bring a true rivalry fight between these two characters and for this fight to be the first to form a rivalry like the initial fight between Goku and Vegeta did so many years ago.**


	25. The Earth Shattering Battle Concludes

**Chapter: 25**

_**:The Earth Shattering Battle Concludes**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Gohan and Brody were now fighting with each other with no remorse. After leaping at each other and re-engaging with each other after having gone into their Vegeta and Goku stances, the two started fighting wildly and with no more reserve, hitting each other with moves and no longer showing any regard for the defense. Many moves like the one earlier where they hit each other in the mirror pose would now repeat and as well as many other moves were hit simultaniously or they would just take turns back-and-forth just hitting each other. They were not even bothering or caring about letting the other guy through. They were just so concerned with hitting the other guy that they were letting there most fundamental guard drop and just taking turns hitting each other.

But their punches were now hitting heavier and stronger than ever before. So much so that when they would hit one another it would tear and rip apart part of their clothing. Eventually after fighting at this pace the attrition to their shirts left them without any shirts anymore. The young boy and young teen just came to a point where they stopped and they were staring at each other, shirtless and bruised all over their bodies but not any less willing to give up. Which the young female members of the audience, those of around their age especially and even those a little older, were much approving of the sight of the guys' shirtless bodies.

Both Gohan and Brody were panting while staring at each other down. Neither one showing any less give. But then suddenly, without words, they just charged each other again. They were just that determined at getting to each other. Once again they met in the middle of the ring for yet another engagement and this time just began fighting fast and brutal as always. But now Brody's style had now notably been shifting to that of getting to a similar style to that of the original Broly. With wide arcing closelines and long sweeping leg kicks and sweeps. But Gohan had fought the original Brody and so with that experience he was able to accommodate for the style to a certain degree. But that still didn't make it any easier to try to keep up.

Brody suddenly went for a hard powerful looping closeline that would've taken Gohan's head off. But then Gohan just barely managed to duck by leaning back his whole upper torsoe like a guy with no spine. But then Brody tried to follow it up with a strategic leg sweep using his longer legs to try to kick out his legs from under him. But Gohan once again was able to dodge by tucking his chins in and doing a roll to keep up with the momentum of his earlier rearwards leaning maneuver. But then Brody didn't let up as he followed _that_ up with following up his other leg to kick in the momentarily in flight Gohan. But Gohan once again barely managed a solution as he used his hands to push up off of Brody's leg and push himself airborne and out of the way. But then Brody went for one last shot as he used his last unused limb in his remaining hand and pitched up a signature green ball much like was seen from his father. The whole attack combination was meant to trap Gohan and catch him in midair like this. The ball of energy went at Gohan but Gohan once again foiled the attack as he quickly sidestepped the attack to the side in midair and the attack was missed. Gohan then came back down the ground level and jumped right back into an engagement.

But now they were at least dodging every two punches or so, but they were definitely wearing the signs of tiring out as their lazy breaths and weighted looking shoulders gave away. They were definitely tiring out due to the heavy attrition they were doing to each other. But still their punches were getting through and hitting each other with as much power as ever. Both guys reeled from simultanious punches that bounced off the corner of their jaws. Kicks, punches to the gut, knees, these were the moves that followed to brutalise each other. Those moves left splotches of blood spread out all over both their bodies.

Then finally Brody grabbed Gohan's head with both hands and headbutted him. Gohan was sent flying back from that shot and his forehead was now marked by a prominent bloody splotch all over it's center. But Brody too now sported a marked forehead as that last move wobbled him too. Though his was only a bruise mark and nothing too serious. Gohan was clearly the one to come off the worst from that move.

Meanwhile, back at the lounge Videl was watching this and starting to get worried. She hadn't seen Gohan in this bloody a condition since when they'd first met at the battle of the Cell Games. Not even in the battle against Broly did he get this much damage. This was really taking a toll on him. But he was still fighting and fighting strong so she kept the hope up. But that still didn't stop her from having a worried look on her face. She just wished she knew why she was feeling that way for him.

But back at the fight, Brody stopped clutching his forehead and sent an arm out and fired a generic yellow beam at Gohan. But Gohan dodged out of the way by zipping away and the beam hit harmlessly the edge of the ring. And when he reappeared he sent his own beam firing away. But Brody zipped away himself in return and then that started a war of beams being fired all over the place. With opponents vanishing out of the way and explosions happening all over. The audience had a hard time keeping up with this cataphony of blasts and dust clouds coming from every which way and they couldn't tell where one was coming or going. It was fortunate that none of the audience was caught by one of these random blasts but it seemed that these two were lucky with their aim.

Finally the two brought their fight back to the air as first Brody jumped to get a better angle it seems and then Gohan followed. Brody fired a midair blast from a higher angle only yards away. But Gohan defended it with an energy shield. Gohan then dropped the shield and countered with his own beam. But then Brody blocked that with a shield of his own too. Brody then followed that up with firing whole volley of round green blasts. His hands firing them off like a machine gun. But Gohan dodged by moving up further into the air but then when he looked down he saw that the waves had shifted upwards. Gohan then bobbed and weaved his way successfully through the wave of blasts and emerge unscathed with them sailing overhead. But then Gohan struck back with his own repeater volley of blasts and then Brody was then one who jumped up to avoid them. Gohan also directed his blasts to follow straight up, but Brody dodged them in the same bobbing and weaving fashion that he'd used.

The two were now at the same altitude and started fighting again. They then broke apart and headed for their opposite corners but only that they'd switched places this time. They both sneered at each other menacingly, but then they remembered something and looked up. They both saw both their own groups of blasts suddenly hang up overhead in the air and then started coming back down from the force of gravity. Both fighters then rapidly dropped altitude and made for the ring.

When they landed they both activated energy shields and the groups of blasts from overhead struck down. It was like a rain of bombs that poured on them as explosions and smoke hit all over the ring as they were hit by their own blasts. Some of the blasts impacted their shields but those blasts were absorbed pretty easily by the shields. But the blasts that hit all over the rest of the area created a lot of explosions. But when the rain of blasts finally stopped they created a large collective dust cloud that covered to entire ring. But when the dust cloud finally dispersed, it revealed a ring dotted with craters and the two boys still in their yellow shields unharmed. The two then dropped the shields and revealed themselves, panting, out of breath, bruised and bloody, but still determinedly holding on. This match was really taking it's toll on them both.

But neither of them couldn't believe that they'd just been rained down upon by their own attacks. This match was really getting crazy. Granted it was crazy from the get go, but that they were mirroring each other to this extent was just plain freaky. They'd just mirrored each other perfectly through every move of that sequence and foiling the very same attacks the same way. That was just insane!

Both boys looked to be breathing hard as they stared at each other with angry determination. "Would ya quit copying my moves already!?" suddenly angrily jeered Gohan, menacingly gesturing his fist as he did so. "Shut up! Who's copying who here!? You're the one who did exactly everything _I did_ after _I_ did them. I'm not copying anything. I'm not even _trying_ to imitate your moves anymore." gestured back Brody, throwing out the accusation. "Oh? Like I'm going to believe that _your_ telling me that we both just did that on our own simultaniously?" incredulously posed Gohan. "Yeah, I guess that's right. I guess we really are both just that much evenly matched even in the way we think about fighting, even with me not copying anything you do, that we mirror ourselves." suggested Brody and he seemed to chuckle at the end of it. Somehow like he found some sick ironic joke in it all. Strangely enough, Gohan too startle to chuckle in almost the same way, looks like he too found the same sick humour in it all. "Heh heh heh... I guess we really are much too much alike. I guess really _do_ mirror each other." said Gohan, somehow then after that both boys got looks on their faces that seemed like they were eager at the prospect.

Then, both boys launched themselves at each other and engaged in yet another brutal brawl. Fists met face, knees and feet met gut and elbows met flesh as both boys scored hits time and time and time again. New blood splotches coated their skins and new bruises and new scratches joined their growing assortment of injuries. This match had long since passed the phase of skirmishing and athletic competition. This _whole_ entire _match_ had degenerated into a gruesome bloody bare-knuckled brawl. With both boys now having injuries too numerous to count and only growing as they continued to lay waste to each other. This had become a match of sheer intensity and willingness to gut out punishment as both boys just stayed with it and refused to give up despite going to the absolute limits of physical injury with each other. _This_ was a test like no other for the boys.

Finally both boys hit each other simultaniously and they both went flying apart where they landed on their backs. They both slowly got up and stared holes in each other. Both were apparently equally determined to win, it being _wayyyy_ personnal for both of them. Gohan for his stolen powers, and Brody for the shame of his family. "You know? You're pretty tough." said Brody as he got up, giving a respectful smile as he panted for breath. "Same goes to you." replied Gohan, equal smile on his face as he too was panting. Both boys nearing their limits of physical endurance.

"Yeah, you're tough alright. So tough in fact that you leave me no choice but to use _this_! I guess it's time that you learn the full breath of my world travels fighting techniques." warned Brody, ominous grin on his face. "W-Whaaa? What are you going to do?" asked Gohan, backing up, not liking the look on his face and definitely not liking what it was suggesting.

Brody then got into a stance. His arms out, near side-by-side in front, forearms angled upwards, his left angled a bit further forward diagonally then his right, his hands open with their four fingers scrunched together with the thumbs open with the whole hand pointing forward. Like in a mix of the Mantis Style and the Crane Style. But then, on his forearms came red energy that shaped themselves into glowing hot red gauntlets molded to his arms. "**Eagle Style: Energy Gauntlets!**" called out Brody as he then went to attack.

He attacked with a totally new style, Gohan had trouble dodging the new attacks as they seemed to focus on the forearms of the user moving up and down like the elevators of a crane to create straight punches to the gut. Gohan was totally unfamiliar with such a style and so he was confused by it. But he was still able to dodge for a while. Though the urgency of his dodges was evident as he realized that judging by the glowing arms he didn't want to get punched by one of those arms. But eventually with the unfamiliarity with the new moves he got caught, and got a powerful punch to the gut for his troubles. A then follow up of three stylized punches quickly showed him why he should've avoided those punches at all costs. 'Oh man... those things _really_, _reeeaaaaalllllllyyy_ hurt!' thought Gohan, the red glowing energy obviously gave extra blunt force and penetrating power to the punches.

But then after doing his damage, Brody suddenly switched up his attack, glowing red hands gone. "Phantom Star Attack! Eagle Style Attack! Dragon Style Attack! Muy Thai, Mutou, Tao, Cross!" called out Brody as he switched from style after style, confusing Gohan with the sudden switches and raining in blows. Eventually they became so constant that they became a whole singular barrage of stylized blows that struck from all over at super speed. Finally he was sent up into the air where the barrage continued as he was sent around like a soccer ball being passed around by a team of soccer players. Then finally after his one man beating, Brody appeared before Gohan with his fingers pointed at him like in the shape of gun. And then Brody fired and Gohan was envelopped by a large yellow blast of energy that hit him squarely in the torso and he was propelled into the floor of the ring.

Brody then softly plotted down on the ring floor a distance away from his downed opponent, his combo clearly over. Gohan was down on his stomach face first and surrounded by debris of broken tiles. Brody looked pleased and clearly overconfident with his "kill". Clearly he thought that his opponent wasn't getting up from that or at least that he had the match in the bag from here on out.

Meanwhile, "Gohan..." worriedly muttered Videl while watching from the sidelines. Goku put his arm on her shoulder to try to comfort her but to little effect. She had never seen Gohan in _this_ shape before. He was so injured and looked so weak now that it was near heart breaking. This match had long ago stopped being just a match. It was now turning into a bloodbath between those two. And it was causing her to worry to the enth degree.

He then started strolling up to Gohan as if stalking his prey. But then suddenly, Gohan started fidgeting and moving his arm. He slowly started to lift himself up with at first one arm and then both arms and he got up to one knee. But he was obviously weak from that last series of attacks he'd gotten. He was very slow and very weak and groggy getting back up. "Well, you're plenty tough, I'll give you that." said Brody. "What the heck was all that that you hit me with?" asked Gohan as he continued to try to get back up but he was only still at one knee. "_That_ my friend was the full breath of my martial arts background. Techniques that I've learned from all over the world over the course of my training. You see I'm a true prodigy, a true hybrid of martial arts, unlike you. Every style that I ever encountered in my personal experience in fighting in the world of martial arts. Every technique that I ever encountered and learned my collective experience. It's _ALL_ been passed down and assimilated into me and I've learned them _ALL_. I am a true hybrid because I've learned all that I had to learn and mastered all the true martial arts that was taught to me. While _you_ had the luxury of training under two of the greatest martial artist ever and yet it seems you didn't learn a single thing about _fighting_ _techniques_. While _I_ can say I learned my lessons, it seems you wasted yours. I'm a _true_ hybrid of martial arts, while you're only a half-breed by blood. Not a true hybrid at all, you don't deserve it." finally finished Brody, his words of derision and loathing clearly meant to psychologically cut through Gohan. And they cut through, they dug through Gohan like knifes stabbing through his body in a way that any physical attacks never could.

Gohan just stopped there, on his knees, questioning himself in his mind and wondering if Brody really _did_ have a point? Was he really a failure for not learning as much as he should've been able to? Self-doubt started to creep back into his head. But just he felt he was about to give up something popped into his head. Memories flooded as to all the things that he had been taught in the realm of martial arts and all of the lessons he'd learned. Both from his teachers and his friends. And then suddenly all the doubt went away. Gohan confidently got up and looked Brody in the face. "I may not have learned how to do everything my teachers do. But I still learned plenty every day from every one of my friends and I learned my lessons well. And now I guess that it's time I showed you every technique I've learned." proclaimed Gohan. And then suddenly his whole demeanor changed and he switched into an exact imitation of the Wolf-Fang Fist Attack stance.

Gohan suddenly lunged and started attacking in Yamcha's signature style. "Wolf-Fang Fist Attack!" screamed out Gohan. But just as Brody was barely holding off the attacks, Gohan switched to something else. "Crane Style attack! Turtle Style attack! Demon Style attack! Krillin, Roshi, Videl..." Gohan went on as he switched to surprisingly imitating the styles of every one of his friends, that he either ever saw in action or learned from. He even threw in a few that he learned from Videl. Some patented moves from even Mr. Satans' repertoire could be damn deadly and effective in the hands of someone as powerful and as capable as his. Finally Gohan the attack switches seemed to get faster and faster until Gohan was attacking at super speed from all over and it looked like there was a whole gang of Gohan's attacking and disappearing all over the place. Finally after attacking from every angle, Gohan finished up by hitting him with double palms striking him in the chest in a pose like as if his arms were doing a Kamehameha but instead hitting him with a double pulse of invisible energy that pushed him away.

As he was flying back, Brody managed to flip and push his hands up from the edge of the ring and fly up into the air. "Grrrr... You bastard!" growled and cursed out Brody as he hung up there. Gohan meanwhile was still panting from the effort. "*Huff*Huff* You see... That was my friends' attacks. How did you like them? I think I did a pretty good imitation of their moves if I do say so myself. Though I may not come close to their abilities, but I learned a little bit from each one of them. And studying their moves on my own behind their backs a little didn't hurt either." returned Gohan, proud smile etched on his face.

"BASTAAAAAAARD!" screamed out Brody in frustration and pure rage while he still hung up in the sky. Electricity began to crackle and concentrate around him. "Uh oh..." simply muttered Gohan as he observed from down below. Clearly he was up to something dangerous and Gohan would have to think quick to pre-empt him. "This is bad." muttered Goku from out in the sidelines as he too realised the situation. Videl looked up in wonder as to what Goku meant, but whatever it was it sent a chill down her spine.

Back at the fight, Gohan quickly went for th tried tested and true and cupped his hands to the side. "KAAA... MEEE... HAAA... MEEEEEEE..." chanted Gohan as he went and powered up for his family's familiar go to move. From up at this angle the Earth wouldn't be in his line of sight so it would be safe to use it even at full power at this level. But meanwhile up above it looked like Brody was preparing for his own move in rebuttal. He drew his arms straight up over his head and began crackling red energy in a large ball much like Frieza had once done when he'd charged up for the attack that destroyed planet Namek. But differently this time Brody then compressed the ball until his hands lay flat against each other over his head.

"**HAAAAAAAAAAAA****!**" finally screamed out Gohan as he unleashed the famous Kamehameha. But this one was as big as the ring itself. It was massive! The Z-Fighters or anyone else could hardly believe that Gohan would risk such power into an attack. But as it neared, Brody looked prepared. As the beam neared a few yards away, Brody unleashed his attack. "**Spear Cannon Attack****!**" called out Brody as he brought his arms forward and kept his hands and fingers straight as if in the shape of an arrow or spear. Out of his hands formed a red beam with it's "tip" or "bulb" was in the shape of an arrowhead with it's "tail" staying attached to Brody's hands. The attacks hit each other but as they did Brodys' cut into the massive "bulb" of the Kamehameha and went on to cut through the beam like a hot knife through butter.

"WHAT!? NO WAY!" cried out a disbelieving Gohan, not believing that his attack was being cut through like that. Just as the attack was about to break through and hit him he created a bulb of energy around himself to try to protect himself just before the beam got to him. The arrowhead hit and there was a big red explosion filled with smoke. When the smoke cleared it revealed Gohan lying face down in a trench carved into the side of the ring around him.

"GOHANNNN!" cried out Videl a her heart went out to him as she saw him that badly injured. She tried to bolt out of her place and go to him but she was held back by Goku. "Hold on!" said Goku. "No! Gohan's hurt! He needs me! We have to do something!" cried out Videl as she continued to try to struggle out of Goku's grip. "Believe me, I want to go out there and help him myself. He's my son after all. But as much as we want to help him. We can't interfere as this is still an official match." said Goku. Videl could tell that in his eyes that he was worried just as much as she was and that made her finally settle down.

Meanwhile, the announcer tentatively approached to the downed Gohan. "He looks down and out. I'll begin the count, 1... 2..." began the announcer guy but he was cut off as Gohan suddenly stirred. Gohan made his way up slowly, like he was trying with all his strength as he shakingly tried to get up. The whole audience gasped at the strength of perseverance that Gohan was displaying. But when he finally got up he was barely standing with his legs wobbled and his arms, _both_ of them were leaking blood from the shoulder down much like his one arm had done at the Cell Games. But unlike that time it looked like this time they weren't broken and he could still use them, to some degree.

"You bastard! Why won't you just STAY DOWN!?" cried out Brody. Clearly the frustration was getting to him and now it was morphing to pure rage. His eyes were now glowing white with his pupils now gone and his golden Super Saiyan aura was growing bigger and more sparks of electricity crackled around him as dark clouds formed above him. "Uh oh! This is bad, very bad!" said out Goku, looking nervous as hell. "What? What's going on?" asked Videl, left out of the bunch as everyone of the Z-Fighters looked up in concern. "It looks like Brody's anger has triggered his father's powers within him and they have awakened to taken over him. He's not in control of himself anymore!. He's just a giant lump of rage and power now so that means he could go crazy and do anything at this point." said Goku, his voice dripping with worry.

Brody looked to be charging up a massive attack again! But this time he was lifting his arms up and concentrating a MASSIVE green orb of power much like his father would. Putting more energy into the attack and putting the power of his rage into it. He had clearly lost it was he was no longer concerned with the safety of the planet as he'd been before. Gohan could only look on in horror as he realized that Broly's powers were manifesting themselves in his son and with his added and already unstable Super Saiyan 2 powers and rage added to the mixture he was now more powerful than ever before and so was his attack. 'Great, I couldn't stop his attack before. And now it's even more powerful than before! How am I going to stop it?' Gohan worriedly asked himself. He was searching his head for any answers but none were forthcoming. He had just about given up hope when suddenly he thought back to something his father had said way back when they were training for the Androids. _~:"Gohan, the purpose of your training here with me and Piccolo is not only for you to learn our style. But to impart them to you so that you can create something new with them. To combine our styles and to one day become something more with them. You won't only be a hybrid because of you blood. But a hybrid of your martial arts. A true hybrid. You are the only one to do this.":~_ Gohan remembered his father saying to him. "I'm not only a hybrid of blood... I'm a hybrid of martial arts too! A true hybrid!" declared Gohan, and he was prepared to show it.

Gohan brought his left hand to his forehead with two fingers while his right he cupped to his side. He started charging up his two hands, on his forehead charge yellow energy crackling with what seemed to be sparks of electricity while his right hand charged up the familiar blue orb of energy. Meanwhile this whole time the crazed Brody had been using the time to charge up his attack bigger and badder than ever.

"Take this! NOW DISAPPEAR!" screamed out Brody as he launched his attack and sent it roaring down. The green orb had grown to a HUGE size and it was now bigger than the whole stadium and it was coming down to annihilate them all. All the same Gohan launched his new attack in reply. "**Special Beam Kamehameha****!**" he called out as he launched his new attack. He brought he arms forward much like he would for the Kamehameha except his topmost hand was pointing out two fingers like for the Special Beam Cannon while his bottom hand was still open like for the Kamehameha. What came forth from this hybrid attack was what looked like a giant Kamehameha but only with corkscrew spirals going along the "trail" of the beam following the down from "bulb" of the beam. The "bulb wasn't as massive as the one before but it was big enough to fill most of the inside of the ring so you knew that it was powerful.

The two attacks met high above the stadium but as soon as they did one attack proved superior. Gohan's attack pushed into the green orb like it was made of mush and paused it. A few tense seconds passed as the attack trembled and pushed back and forth, like it was struggling for it's life to keep itself intact. But soon enough the struggle ceased Gohan's attack cut through the green orb like a hot spear through a giant beachball and the green energy globe shattered like glass.

"Impossible!? My attack was all powerful! How could he beat it!? " exclaimed Brody, disbelieving that his attack was cut through like that. But what indeed he didn't know was that Gohan's attack was also a cutting attack like the one he himself had used earlier. The combining of the Special Beam Cannon's cutting attack with the pure power of the Kamehameha created a supremely gifted attack that cut through normal energy attacks. And so it was that at the meeting between two attacks the superior cutting power coupled with the necessary power backing it up meant that the overwhelming power of Brody's planet destroying orb was rendered useless by Gohan's new attack.

Brody barely had time to try to erect a shield around himself when the attack hit. The beam broke through his defense and Brody barely avoided being vaporised by the attack pushing him off but not before scorching his upper chest area. Broly fell back down out of the sky motionless and landed hard on his back near the edge of the ring.

Gohan was so exhausted from firing his beam that after the beam was gone he fell face forward. But he barely caught himself with his hands and managed to stay at a kneeling position and breathing hard. "*Huff*Huff*Huff* I'm glad that's over with..." managed to get out Gohan as he tried to catch his breath thinking that it was over. "Sorry, but did you think that that was over?" suddenly rang out Brody's voice. Gohan startled his eyes wide and then looked on in shock as he saw Brody getting back up. His upper chest was singed black but it didn't appeared anymore marked, and though it looked to be giving him problems breathing he was maintaining hmself. "Heh, I sorta was hoping it was." joked back Gohan. Both boys were bloody, covered in wounds and exhausted, but they had the looks on their faces of pure joy of true rivals as they looked like they were going to go at it one more time.

"TIME!" suddenly shouted the voice of the announcer guy. "What!?" exclaimed both boys as they looked back in equal wonder to find out what was going on. "The 30 minute official time limit has expired for the match. And due to the *cough* 'difficulty' of having to judge such a match. The judges cannot make a ruling so therefore this match must be ruled a draw." declared the announcer. Brody just fell over and yelled out several curses at that decision. Gohan meanwhile just collapsed in exhaustion. Videl immediately ran out from where she was and ran through straight to his side. Gohan could just make out as his newfound rival Brody was carted off on a stretcher by medics and spoutting of curses and pointing off to him about saying that this wasn't over. As he fell into unconsciousness, Videl's pretty little face with her big beautiful eyes hanging worriedly over him was the last thing Gohan saw.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, there's an epic conclusion to an epic fight. I really wanted to bring a really gruelling fight for Gohan and to make something of an epic. I'm sorry if you found some of the moves and some of the techniques as well as the choreography of the fight didn't seem to make too much sense. But that's probably because at least initially the fight was written with another character. You see for the longest time I had been conceiving and developping for Broly's son as a character to be Gohan's rival. I was inspired by the drawing of someone made on ****Deviantart**** of a character called Brody, and he was initially the inspiration for my own character and his design, although my characters' origin and personality was going to be much different and my own. And the fight was forming in my imagination a bit differently to reflect this character. Although I still maintained much of the moves I was going to use anyway in this. But at the last minute I decided I wanted a totally original character of my own and I developped his look to be different and I would up writing a totally different fight and one that I felt was way more epic then the one I'd planned for Brody. I wound up calling my rival character Kenichi Sokugawa and he was more geared towards red colored attacks and being more of a copycat, stealing Gohan's powers with his DNA like that. But then I backtracked and realised that I wanted the character to be Broly's son as that would have much more marquis value for you readers as opposed to a just some random original character. So I went back and I rewrote and tweaked the parts of the fight that I needed including his name and origin as well as some small parts of the fight.**

**The big climactic ending for example was initially a clash between the arrowhead attack and Gohan's Special Beam Kamehameha. But I changed that to a more fitting Broly style style clash that I'd had in my head for the initial Brody character. I also wanted for Gohan to have a big world saving hero moment in his semi-final. **_**Way, way**_** back when, when I initially concieved of the tournament, that role was supposed to be filled by either Bojack or Dabura themselves. But I ended up going with a rival character to fill the position of a mega duel at the end. I think that Broly's son fills the position nicely, don't you? And btw, the little sequence with the multitude of techniques being used was inspired by the final battle between ****Kenichi Shirahama**** and ****Odin**** from ****History's Mightiest Disciple Kenichi**** just to let you know for point of reference.**

**I also decided and went with calling him Broly Junior instead of Brody since that's pretty much what he is anyway and I felt that that would grab you readers with the marquis headlines. But then I came back and called him Brody again and rewrote him back AGAIN. So that's how that all came about. I hope you can forgive that every once in a while you find that I'd mistakingly refered to Kenichi instead of Brody or Brody. I've tried to sweap away and rename in all the places that I did, but I fear that I might have missed a few. Just rest assured that it just all means the same thing. I hope that straightens things out.**

**I hope you can accept this explanation. And I hope you enjoyed this epic match anyway. I may have overstoked the furnace and accidently made this fight the most epic one of all, by mistake. I was hoping on making the most epic fight in the finals. But that may be impossible now that I've made this fight soooooo epic. Well that's my explanation, see you next time.**


	26. A confession of Love

**Chapter: 26**

_**:A confession of Love**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

When Gohan woke up, he found himself being carted off on a stretcher by stadium employed medics. He also looked down and saw that his hand was being held by Videl who had a concerned face on and was apparently staying by his side through this all. "Oh Gohan!? You're awake! Don't worry, I'll make sure they care good care of you." assured Videl as she noticed his awakening. The medics continued to push on and they had just about gotten to the entrance to the fighter's lounge in order to exit the ring when they were passed bye by the stretcher team carrying his equally wounded rival Brody. "This isn't over Gohan! Do you hear me!? This is far from over!" menaced Brody as his stretcher went passed them throught the door. "Loud little incessant guy isn't he?" weakly joked Gohan. Videl and pretty much all of the medics had the stifle some giggles at that. "Heehee, Yeah, I'll say." responded Videl adding to the joke.

Then, the medics made it through the doors and passed their way through the fighter's lounge when they were stopped by Goku and some of their friends who wanted to talk to him on his way out. "Hey, champ." started Goku, looking over his son with proud eyes. "H-Hey dad... sorry I didn't win. And sorry that I won't be able to see you and Vegeta fight. I really wanted to see that. And also sorry for leaving such a mess behind." weakly addressed Gohan. "Nonsense Gohan, you made me very proud out there. You have nothing to be ashamed of. And it was a draw so at least you didn't lose. And don't you worry about anything else. You just rest up fine while these fine people take care of you. You earned it." touchingly said Goku. And then the touching father son moment was gone as the medics continued on and Gohan fell over as they went on to taking him to the infirmary with Videl still in tow.

Meanwhile, back in the stadium outside, the announcer was addressing the crowd. "Well ladies and gentlemen, what an EPIC match that was folks... But now if you'll excuse us we'll take a 30 minute break to... *Ahem* clean up and repair the ring. Lord knows we're gonna need it." spoke out the announcer guy as he looked at his broken up and crater filled ring and looked like he was about to break down. He certainly WAS NOT looking forward to the patch job on this one. And from the looks of things, neither were the clean up crew either.

The Z-Fighters heard the announcement outside. "Great, now it'll be another half hour before I get to have my shot with Kakarot thanks to those brats." fumed Vegeta. "Come on Vegeta, you can't really blame Gohan for what happened out there. I mean he _was_ fighting that Broly's kid out there." said Goku, trying to defend his son. "Well who said I was only blaming your son Kakarot? I said that it was "those" brats that did this, plural. Broly's brat was also complicit. They're both equally responsible." corrected Vegeta. And though he didn't exactly agree, Goku couldn't help but think that that was at least fair of Vegeta. Both Brody _and_ Gohan _did_ in fact do that to the ring so he had a point in that so he had a right in at least partially blaming Gohan.

"Speaking of Gohan, why was it that we let those human doctors get a hold of him and take him to the infirmary when we could've just taken him in ourselves and just given him a Senzu bean instead? And what's more, the real question would be what are we going to do about Broly's son?" suddenly asked Piccolo, questioning Goku directly. A lot of the Z-Fighters were also wondering that question and turned to him. "Well... I think that as far as Junior is concerned we can just leave him be in the infirmary for now. He isn't going anywhere for a while like _that_. We'll figure out what we'll do about him later. And as far as Gohan is concerned, we can leave him in the infirmary too for a little while. With me and Vegeta fighting next and with the winner of that being automatically the champion I don't think that he'll be needing to fight again today. Plus I think he's earned a small break after all the matches he's fought today. Not to mention that _last_ one he fought. That and plus I have a feeling that some "interesting things" are about to happen between him and Videl thanks to this, so I think it'll give us a good excuse to give them some space." responded Goku, a mischievious grin on his face as he turned to the direction where the infirmary. The rest of the Z-Fighters got the hidden message and left it at that, deciding instead to go about their business waiting for the next match.

Meanwhile, outside the infirmary door, Videl was waiting on for the verdict from the doctors about Gohan's condition. In the meantime she was thinking to herself, confronting herself about the mysterious feelings she's been having for the boy and more specifically what she was feeling just earlier. 'What is with me? I felt so worried for him during the match when I was seeing him hurt and when the match was over I ran over to him like some lovesick nursemaid. That's not me, that's not what I normally do? I've never felt that way about any guy, not enough to get worried over them? Well, except for my father. And what is that feeling I keep getting every time I'm with tht guy? Like when earlier today when I fought him in our match for the World Junior Title? What's that feeling in the pit of my stomach that feels all warm and fuzzy? _What_ _is_ _that_? What is wrong with me?' asked Videl in her her head. And then, like a punch to the face it hit her. The terrible realization finally dawned on her as to what that feeling is. And as much as she wanted to deny it to herself, it was still the truth.

"I love him..." she quietly said to herself, almost dejectedly. It was the only thing that she could describe it as and the only thing that would explain all the symptoms. For the longest time she'd tried to protect her heart from something like this from ever happening. She acted like a tomboy in front of others in order to become a fighter and to never fall in love, and yet somehow it still happened. A boy had finally managed to worm his way into her heart and melt her defenses. And you know what? She was somehow yet okay with that. She guessed that maybe this was just what she'd wanted and had been waiting for and hoping for secretly deep in her heart. And now it'd finally happened. A small smile crept at the edge of her lips when she realized this.

Shortly thereafter this personal revelation, the doctor came out of the door to Gohan's room to which Videl had been sitting next to. "He's going to be fine, his wounds are mostly superficial and with a little rest and some time he should make a complete recovery. He has a remarkably fast healing ability. He's awake now and we sedated him a bit just to be on the safe side. Buuuuuut I don't think he should've been much of a problem anyway. He's free to talk to now at anytime you want t, if you want." said the doctor as he then walked away.

Videl peered into the room. Gohan was sitting in bed with bandages covering many of his wounds and scuff marks. Those including his right cheek, his forehead and some tape covering his chest up to his abdomen which only the upper part could be seen due to his sheets covering the rest of him. "Hey..." awkwardly piped in Videl. "Hey there..." returned Gohan, looking slightly more cheerful at seeing her come. "Can I come in?" nervously asked Videl. "Sure." was the response. Videl then just picked up a chair and sat herself down next to his bedside.

"Listen Gohan, I came here, not just because I wanted to check up on you, but to tell you something. Something very important to me." said Videl. Gohan's eyes scrunched down a bit in a small scowl as he knew this was serious. "Go ahead." was his answer. "Well, back then, just now, when you were hurt out there I was so scared. I was so worried for you that I didn't know what to do. And that's when I realised something." Videl started confessing. "What was it?" asked Gohan, sorta guessing and hoping in the back of his mind as to what was coming from but otherwise being honestly wanting to know what it was she was trying to say. Videl hesitated for a second, but then she just flung herself onto him and throwing her arms around his neck in an all envelopping hug. "I love you Gohan Son... I love you so much!" she managed to choke out as she hugged him right there on that hospital bed.

Gohan was stunned at the confession, he didn't know what to exactly do in this situation so he did the only thing that came to mind. He hugged her back in a light, comforting way. They then gently pulled back from the hug from each other. Gohan continued to sit and he held his head down almost like in shame, apparently he was apprehensive as to what he was about to say. "I... love you too Videl. I've known, ever since our match with each other in the Finals of the World Junior Tournament. It was then, during our match that felt these feelings for you and I realized then that it was love. That I was in love with you. I'd thought and hoped that I'd felt that the feeling was mutual back then." Gohan confessed, looking into her eyes with honesty and love, eyes watery like a puppy dog. Videl looked away to the side and brought her right arm behind her back to grab her left on the other side, apparently feeling a bit ashamed that he'd realized it before she had. "The feeling _was_ mutual, but I just didn't know what those feelings were and it took just until now for me to realize them. I feel kinda sorry, that it took me just that much longer to realize it then you." said Videl, feeling ashamed. "Don't feel bad about that, it doesn't matter. Just so long as you came to realize it all the same, it's alright." Gohan answered back, his genuineness and honesty about it made it all seem alright. Videl couldn't help but smile and be assured that he was okay with it. "You really mean it? Thanks Gohan, I do feel better about it." replied Videl, smiling at him.

"Now the only question is, where does this leave us? I mean what do we mean to each other? I mean, does this make us boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Gohan asked. Asking mostly to Videl then himself as she was the relative expert on social interactions, having gone to school and mostly lived her life in normal society and he was not sure himself. "I don't know. I've never felt this way about anybody before. To tell you the truth I've always been too much of a tomboy for that sorta thing. But right here with the way I feel about you? I don't know." Videl said honestly, casting her eyes downward as she felt conflicted about this subject. On the one hand she had a deep yearning that she wanted someone like that close in her life. And on the other hand she'd always ridiculed the idea in public and reject every offer so if her friends at school ever found out she would be a laughing stock. "Well? Do you want to be my girlfriend?" asked Gohan, looking up into her eyes. Videl looked into his and found such warmth and understanding and honesty that she just couldn't help but to stay with him. In those eyes, she felt the longing need to be with him. "Yes, I guess I do. I honestly do." finally responded Videl, answering with all the deep honesty of her heart. "Then I want you as my girlfriend. That is if you'll have me... as your boyfriend." responded Gohan, answering with the honest heart of gold he always had. Videl smiled at his with tears in her eyes. "Then yes, I will have you as my boyfriend." responded Videl. "Well then I guess that's it. From now on we're boyfriend and girlfriend." said Gohan, smiling with a megawatt sized Son grin all over his face.

"But Gohan? What of the others? If they find out I'm sure they'll tease us for life. Not to mention what our parents will think! Like your mother and my father? Just think of what _they'll_ do! And let's not forget my reputation at school! If they find out that I of all people have a boyfriend now I'll be ruined!" freaked out Videl. "Calm down Videl. I don't think things are that bad, but if you really want to I guess we could keep it a secret just to ourselves? I mean, I have no doubt that our friends will eventually find out or we'll have to spill the beans eventually. But in the meantime I guess we could keep it quiet for as long as we can? But then, that is if it makes you more comfortable?" Gohan suggested. "It does, it _really_ does. But believe me I don't enjoy the idea of keeping it from our friends, and I think in your case you enjoy it even less than I do. But for now I don't think we have a choice. So I guess that's just what we'll have to do for now." said Videl. "I guess so..." was the somber response from Gohan. Pretty soon they switched subjects and started chatting about other things, more mundane things.

After a few minutes of just chatting about various things, Videl left to leave him to his rest. But when she opened the door, she heard a tumbling sound coming from behind the door. She peered behind the open door and found Yamcha, Tien, Goku and even Piccolo comically crumpled together in a heap on the floor. It was obvious that they had been eavesdropping on her and Gohan. In a flash the group of guys zipped back up to their feet and were whistling casually, badly trying to play off that they had been eavesdropping. "Excuse me? But what do you think you're doing?" Videl rhetorically asked, sweatdropping at seeing their antics. "Nothing! Just standing around while guarding the door while we wait for an update on Gohan's condition." Goku immediately came up with the lame excuse. While Videl didn't doubt that they heard everything between her and Gohan, or at least most of it, and knew all about their new relationship. But they were obviously trying to respect their wishes and were at least willing to try to pretend it was a secret and keep it to themselves. Videl appreciated that and so both sides just left it as it is.

"Well, he's going to be fine the doctors say. Though he should be too banged up to fight today it's nothing more then superficial damage. They say that he has a remarkable healing ability so I don't think he should be down for too long. Though what's mostly upsetting him is that he's stuck inside that hospital bed in a room with no windows so he won't be able to see the fight." explained Videl, switching the subject round back to Gohan's condition. "Oh? Is that all? We can fix that, can't we guys." said Goku, casting a glance at the rest of the boys behind him. They all got mischievious grins on their faces as they knew what Goku was planning.

Pretty soon the whole gang were lifting and transporting Gohan's bed with him on it across the hallways. They then brought him over to the fighter's lounge and deposited his bed near a window overlooking the stadium ring, despite the constant protests from the medical staff. "Thanks guys. This is a great view." said Gohan, thanking his friends a looking very happy and appreciative. "No problem Gohan. You deserve it." said Yamcha, expressing the feelings from all of them. "And don't worry, I'll be here right by your side the whole time." Said Videl while holding his hand. While she realized that that was an obvious hint to the adults, knowing that they pretty much knew anyway she let it slide and Gohan didn't know social behavior enough to understand either anyway. The adults just smiled at the gesture. Young love was such a cute thing to see. But then they had to turn their attention to something more serious, like the upcoming match for example.

At this point the announcer guy came over to the entrance way make his presence felt. "Okay guys, the ring is done for now. So if anytime you're ready we can start." said the announcer, announcing it for the whole room to hear it. At that point Goku came up next to Vegeta, who had been waiting next to the entrance way all this time. "Well? Are you done making me wait Kakarot?" sarcastically asked Vegeta. "*Hooof* Yeah, sorry to make you wait Vegeta. I just had to take care of a little business with Gohan. But I'm finally ready for yah." said Goku, apologizing but keeping his competitive look that promised that he was _really_ looking forward to this fight. Vegeta flashed him the same grin in return. He had been waiting for almost his entire life as far as he was concerned. The announcer guy noticed the looks between the two and immediately knew that something was up. He scooted over to Piccolo who was not far away. "What's the deal with those two? I can definitely sense a lot of tension in the air with those two." whispered the announcer to Piccolo. "Hmm, Well let's just say that those two have a whole lot of history together. Long story short it seems that Vegeta's whole mission in life right now is to beat Goku. And I'd say that Vegeta is Goku's strongest rival. Those two have a monumental rivalry going on and this is going to be the first time they've fought in many years. In fact they haven't even fought since back when they first met. If you knew them and their history you would know that this is going to be monumental fight." Piccolo explained. The announcer's eyes went wide as he said that. Because if someone like Piccolo was saying that, and he'd seen what Piccolo can do first-hand, then what was this fight going to be like?

"Are you ready Kakarot?" said Vegeta as he and Goku stood in the entry way. Their sillouettes in the entry way being en-shadowed by white light coming from the outside and causing rays of shadows to seemingly emanate from around their figures. "Always." was the response from Goku as they both then stepped into the light.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, Gohan and Videl have finally acknowledged their love for one another and confessed to each other. I hope you don't think that I'm having them go too fast. I think that after almost a year long courtship of them being friends and getting to know each other that it isn't too much. And after all that they've gone through with each other and with what they **_**know**_** they mean to each other I think that here's no way that they can get around it.**

**Remember that these are two completely different characters now as opposed to their older selves. And I think that since they don't have the same restrictions and the fact that they know each other **_**way**_** better and gone through more together, younger, that they would realize and confess to each other much faster. And I don't think that with the prospect of having a boyfriend/girlfriend would be much much easier accepted than their older selves. They've been in denial of themselves long enough. I think that as soon as they'd discover their feelings and with an extreme situation like this that it's possible for their characters to confess and hook up like this. So now they're boyfriend and girlfriend, but only officially between themselves. Everyone else can mind their own business and keep their mouths shut to themselves **_**if**_** they know anything.**


	27. The Old Rivals finally Square Off again

**Chapter: 27**

_**:The Old Rivals finally Square Off again**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

With the tournament ring finally fixed the ring announcer hurriedly made his way onto the field to address the crowd "Alright ladies and gentlemen! Now that the ring is finally fixed we can now begin the second semi-final match. And here they come!" introduced the announcer as at that point both Goku and Vegeta began making their way to the ring. They walked over to the ring with Goku waving to the crowd and Vegeta looking broodish as usual.

"Goku is quite the prominent champion at this tournament. His accomplishments in the ring are legendary and as the last man to win this competition makes him the reigning champion of today. Not withstanding his accomplishments in the ring here today as he's made great strides here today already and he is in my humble opinion one of the strongest men on the Earth. Vegeta on the other hand we know little about. As a first time competitor he's largely a mystery, but what is not a mystery are his wins here today which have also been impressive. His first round knockout of highly touted contender Pintar was impressive. But not as impressive as his amazingly powerful battle with his estranged son Trunks in the quarter-finals. I'm sure he'll be a mighty challenge for the reigning champion." continued to introduce the announcer. By the time he'd finished they were already standing in the middle of the ring.

"At last Kakarot I finally get to have my hands on you." said Vegeta, arrogant but excited grin on his face. "It has been a long time since we last fought Vegeta." returned Goku, usual casually jovial self intact. "Oh you have no idea how long I've waited for this battle. All these years waiting for to opportunity to finally defeat you." said Vegeta, looking almost crazily happy with a manic grin. "I guess I've been keeping you waiting a long time Vegeta. Well no more..." said Goku but in a more serious tone and a much more serious look on his face. Vegeta looked excited at the prospect.

"Outside the ring I'm reliably told that these two men are rivals. But what does that mean? Well Goku's accomplishments are prominent and his strength is apparent. So if Vegeta is indeed to be considered to be his closest rival then that man must indeed terrifically powerful in order to match _that_ height. This match is definitely going to to be a mighty clash. And with the last semi-final match being considered a draw, whoever wins this match will be considered the champion. Though because this is still technically a semi-final match we will still observe the match rules as before instead of the finals' rules. I can't think of a better setting to put these two rivals. Fireworks are a must and almost a guaranty." finished the announcer.

"You hear that Vegeta? If you win you get to be World Champ." said Goku, almost in a teasing way. "To be honest I couldn't care less about this pathetic planet's championship title. What I care about is embarrassing the "champion" on his own home turf. Though I will admit that that added prize of being World Champion of even a pathetic planet like this will be something of a side-bonus." admitted Vegeta, though he should be glad that the audience couldn't make out what he'd said otherwise they would be throwing trash at him for that "pathetic planet" crack, even though they wouldn't understand why.

"Alright! You may begin!" signalled the announcer with a chop of his hand and he quickly leaped back in order to quickly get out of these warriors' ways. But at first nothing happened, they both just stayed standing there staring at each other with both of the same expression as before. But then pieces of broken tile, rock and dirt started floating up around them from around inside the ring and around it like as if they had turned off the gravity. It was quite obvious that they were subtly raising their power levels, but neither one showed any outward sign of doing it. They didn't even have their auras flaring up. They both just stood there in the middle of the sea of floating earth wearing the same intense expressions as before. You didn't have to see movement for anyone to see that this was _intense_. The tension between the two could be felt as they suffused the air around them with their power.

Finally, like a switch had been pulled there came movement. Vegeta came speeding forward with his right fist cocked back at the side of his waist and his left arm held out in front with palm out. Goku met his charge simultaniously, his own right fist cocked back at the side of his head. They both met in the middle with their forearms clashing in an "X" position with each other. The resulting clash caused a shockwave effect to ripple out from the middle of their arms and caused the announcer to stumble and the rest of the audience to feel the power coming from them. They knew that this was a _doosy_ of a match if the power was this great.

Then Goku decided that he was going to go on the offensive and started throwing fast punches in a flurry. But Vegeta dodged them all with just twists of his head and a few ducks while making it look easy. Then, when there was an opening Vegeta tried to counter-attack with sweeping kicks but Goku dodged them by leaping up into the air. Vegeta soon followed and then both of them began exchanging flurries of punches and blocking them from each other as they had a running fight up in the air. And when they reached about a few feet above the ceiling of the stadium did they separate from each other, their auras igniting at the separation and following them making them look like a pair of blue meteors speeding to the ground. They then landed on opposite ends at the edges of the ring.

They then both used their landing to "skip" ahead which they both used to fly straight at the other. They both met in the middle and once again they were engaging in a fast exchange where they were trading punches and blocks that were blurs to the normal eye, fighting evenly with each other. "Hmph, looks like Vegeta's definitely improved. The smoothness of his technique are definitely sharper." commented Piccolo with a somewhat amused smirk. "Yeah, you can definitely tell he seems more refined. I guess power wasn't the only thing he worked on during the last year." added Gohan, also noting with a critical eye how Vegeta's fighting technique was sharper than it normally was before. It seemed that in anticipation to in order to fight with Goku, Vegeta figured out that fighting for just pure power wouldn't cut it anymore with a more technical fighter like Goku and so he worked on sharpening his normally more rough edged fighting style into something of a bit more refined version. And so it was that Vegeta was not only keeping up with Goku in speed and power, but in plain old fighting technique as well.

Very shortly their fighting went on to escalate to the point of where their punches and blocks created powerful concussive wave ripples almost every time they connected. "*Whistles* Look at them go. They're really going at it." whooped Yamcha. "Yeah, even though it's only they're warm up, they get so up and intense about each other their fighting powers are much more powerful then it would be for just this level. The way they're unleashing their powers when they collide is astonishing. It's more like their fighting full on like it's the real thing instead of just a warm up." commented Gohan, his more critical eye lending itself to the battlefield even though while still on his bedside.

Meanwhile, back at the match Goku and Vegeta had eventually locked up with each other. Their battle was a stalemate and so they opted to push into a contest of power. They both caught punches from the other and then they locked up their hands with each other and started pushing with their strength. Their arms being spread out to the left and right and their forearms angled forward with their hands clasped. "Heh heh... Wow Vegeta, your skills have really improved over this last year." goofily commented Goku. Both participants had excited looks on their faces and smirked even as they continued to push against each other. Although the two were straining against one another, they were still only holding back and playing with one another and they knew it. "Hmph, laugh it up Kakarot. This is nothing compared with what I have in store for you. This is still merely a warm up. Now if you won't mind, why don't we skip the warm up from here on in. I'd much rather get down to business and get on with the real show." suggested Vegeta, clearly impatient with things as always. "Fine, have it your way." responded Goku. At that they both let go and seperated.

Both Goku and Vegeta separated several yards from each other and quickly summoned their Super Saiyan powers. In a flash the yellow flame-like auras climbed up their bodies at the same time and then there they stood. "Well... Looks like they're ready to get down to it for real guys." commented Yamcha, voicing the opinions of the rest of the Z-Fighters who were watching. Meanwhile, both Goku and Vegeta, both of them just stared at each other in Super Saiyan in a tense moment. For a moment all the audience stood silent and transfixed at the sight before them, two rival Super Saiyans staring at each other in mortal combat and grinning. "Right, let's go Kakarot!" signalled Vegeta. "Yes, let's..." all but simply returned Goku, and then they were off.

The two of them just flickered off and disappeared from view simultaniously. Then the ripples from concussion strikes began to appear all over above the ring, as testament to the invisible battle the two were waging as they took to the skies. They then reappeared in the middle of their still echoing burts ripples fighting a hot battle of furious and fast hands and feet while still in the midst of their still echoing burst ripples. But Goku was the first to get an advantage as he caught Vegeta flush with a blow that he'd put his whole body motion into and made Vegeta's body almost line horizontally with Goku's still extended punch. But as Goku was about to take advantage with another swing, Vegeta merely fazed out of the way with super speed and delivered a crushing uppercut that rocked Goku. But Goku was quick to counter yet again and he himself fazed out as his body seemingly drifted back. Goku then reappeared above Vegeta's exposed back and delivered a sharp and fast double ax-handle blow to the back that sent Vegeta shooting down to the edge of the ring. But Goku didn't let up and he went to pursue him.

But Vegeta recovered his senses mid-flight and used the edge of the ring to springboard himself forward along the floor of the ring but with Goku following just a split-second step behind. Somewhere about two thirds through the length of the ring Vegeta turned around on their little highspeed pursuit and crossed his forearms in an "X" formation and blocked and incoming punch from Goku. The sound from the connection was thunderous and forced the two to skid a few feet and kick up some dust as they did so. But Vegeta quickly took advantage from his block and decked Goku with another uppercut that this time sent him flying to the other edge of the ring. But recovered and flipped to land on his own two feet near the edge of the ring. And just in time too, because Vegeta came barreling in with his fist cocked back over his head in readying for a double ax-handle strike. But Goku brought both arms in over his head in blocking position and blocked the powerful move. The block was so powerful that it shook them and the audience and Goku's feet were buried a ways in the hard tiled floor. The power that these two possessed was amazing and everyone could sure as hell feel it.

Goku then took advantage and used his hands to stand on the floor and then used both feet to drop kick Vegeta straight up into the air. Then, with the momentum from his move, Goku did a half backspin to land on all fours and then flickered out of sight. He then reappeared high in the skies and was about to deliver a hit to te still flying prone Vegeta, but Vegeta just fazed out of the way of the incoming punch and vanished. Goku retracted his missed punch and looked frustrated from the failed attempt. Goku then himself flickered out and soon all that could be seen was the open air and only the sounds of their combat could be heard. The sounds of zincs and zancs could eeriely be heard zipping around from all over in the air as the two fought and zipped across at each other at speeds that couldn't possible be tracked by the normal human eye. The two then suddenly just flickered back into existence several feet in the air above the middle of the ring and heading for a collision with each other. The collision cancelled each other out as the two merely hit each other in the gut with simultanious attacks and that forced a break. The two then made their way back down and carefully landed back in the middle of the ring and just continued to stare intensely at each other at yet another stalemate. With the tense atmosphere now, the audience was at the edge of their seats. This match was indeed shaping up to be an epic match, and the audience now knew it.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, now it's time for the original rivals themselves to take the stage. That's right, it's time for Goku and Vegeta to finally try to settle the score. Two epic rivalry fights in the semi-finals. Does it get any bigger or better than this? And I promise to try to deliver to you as epic a fight between these two as we **_**know**_** only they can deliver and as I can deliver.**


	28. Goku vs Vegeta, An Intense Match

**Chapter: 28**

_**:Goku vs Vegeta**_

_**:An Intense Match**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Both Goku and Vegeta continued to stare each other down in a tense standoff, but only for a few tentative more moments. And then the two shot back at each other and launched with their right punches. Their fists bumped and connected with each other in the middle and sparks of electricity flew between the fixed connected fists. The power from this massively powerful strike cause a medium sized crater to form on the tiled floor below and between them. Then they switched to other attacks. Knees, elbows, fists and forearms connected in harsh blows and then they engaged into a harsh, fast paced pounding fight that rattled on the audiences' nerves.

But then finally it was Goku who got in the decisive hit when he finally connected with a straight kick to the gut that drove the air out of Vegeta's lungs. A fierce, almost angry looking look etched on Goku's face as he embedded the kick and then Vegeta was sent shooting back across the ring at what almost seemed like a hundred miles per hour. But once he reached near the edge of the ring, Vegeta just flipped around and springboarded himself and turned into a blur as he used the slingshot-like effect to gain a massive speed boost. But Goku in turn turned into a blur of speed and the two then went about chasing each other all over the ring. The two blurs would connect and ricochet off each other like twin balls in a slot-machine and whenever the blurs connected they created ripples in the air.

But then the contests took a turn as they went from a lovely dance of death to just butting heads as the two would then land on opposite ends of the ring and then head to collide with another. The two would then reveal their solid shapes for just an instant as they collided in the middle and would connect forearms. These collisions would create massive power ripples that would make the whole arena wobble and rattle the crowds. Time and time and time again they would ricochet off each other, retreat and collide once more in a series of encounters.

But finally at the end of one of these encounters they just locked up with each other in the middle of the ring, with Vegeta apparently having caught and was now holding Goku's fists. The two then started powering up as they just held themselves there. Their power levels started to soar as chunks of tiles the size of chunks of dirt floated in the air around their fiercely flaring auras. Their power affecting the surrounding area as they tried to outdo each other in a battle of pure strength and power. A battle of wills was taking place unlike any other.

But then finally, when the rumbling and growling seemed to reach it's climax then the two just lt go and went to a toe-to-toe fierce and up close fast paced battle of swipping fists and dodging head movements of which neither of them hit the other. But then Vegeta faked out Goku with an afterimage which Goku struck through with his fist. Then he looked back and found Vegeta hitting with his patented dropkick from an airborne horizontal position and struck Goku dead on in the face.

Goku flipped and recovered from the harsh blow. While Vegeta flipped and recovered from the recoil of having delivered such a kick from a few feet in the air. But then with the two landed they eyed each other. The two then almost automatically went to their arms to the side and began to power up simultaniously as if by some unspoken agreement. The two then started yelling at the top of their lungs as their auras flared and spiked dangerously. "Well, looks like their finally bringing it to Full-Power Super Saiyan." commented Piccolo from his observation vantage point. And then with a flash and a bursting sound the cataphony of rumblings and pulsating sounds finally abated and all that was left was the calming, humming sound of the pulsating Super Saiyan auras. And there they stood in the middle of it. Drenched in their brilliantly spiking yellow auras were Goku and Vegeta, transformed as Fully Powered Super Saiyans.

The two just stood there with grins as if just admiring the handiwork for several moments until they finally decided to strike out. They sprang forth against each other but as they moved towards each other something strange was happening. It seemed like their bodies suddenly stopped in motion and it was as if they were moving in slow motion towards each other, stuch in time. But while their bodies stopped, all around them ghostly transparent images of Goku and Vegeta locked in different situations of combat seemed to flash all around the area of the two. Finally the images disappeared when the two real bodies connected with each other and they found themselves scrunched over with each having a fist embedded on their cheeks.

You see their level was so high now as Full Powered Super Saiyans that they'd left afterimages of their combat while being so fast that it made it look that their real bodies had never moved. And when all other avenues were left out of the question they finally just found themselves in their original position and had to just go back to go through a full frontal assault which each other in the end. Which is how the ended up producing that spectacular event and ended up as they are now.

The two then sprang back and away from each other and their collision and after a pair of skips they went to catapult themselves into the air disappeared in a pair of flickers. Then the two reappeared high in the air and engaged hotly in a fast adrenaline pumping aerial battle of fists and feet. The two then flickered out of sight and then reappeared somewhere else in the skies, still engaged in the same hot battle and with their auras running hot around them. The two continued flickering in and out in several places for some time, all the while entertaining the crowds.

The fierce battle continued to rage overhead while the Z-Fighters watched anxiously. "Man! Those two are really going at it. Those two seem to be really evenly matched up there. But then again you wouldn't expect anything less from those two." commented Yamcha as he and the gang continued to watch. "Yeah, but remember that those two are running as fully mastered Full Power Super Saiyans now. Such action is to be expected. But now it's just a matter of time, as it's come down to who's mastered it more. Who can just keep it up?" said Piccolo as he watched with anxiety. "Yeah, but dad should definitely have an advantage if it comes down to sheer energy exhaustion. I mean don't get me wrong. Vegeta is still impressive even to have mastered his Super Saiyan powers to this extent after only training for it over this last year. I mean he must've really _really_ improved if he's mastered Full-Powered Super Saiyan after only one year. But still my dad mastered it first and has had for way longer than Vegeta so I'd say the advantage would go to him if this gets drawn out. But it could still only take a single move for Vegeta to finish it off." corroberated Gohan. The rest of the gang just looked at him for a few seconds. 'The kid really knows his stuff.' they collectively thought before going back to watching the fight.

Meanwhile, Goku and Vegeta continued to have their little flickering war of fists, until they found themselves appearing a few feet off of the ring floor. But Vegeta backed up from one of Goku's swinging punches and making him miss. Vegeta then used that opening to start speeding away from Goku and Goku quickly went in pursuit. He soon found himself chasing after Vegeta and Vegeta started skipping backwards on the tiled floor with Goku leaping after him in pursuit.

They skipped like this a few times until when Vegeta stopped and Goku tried to come in with a left roundhouse kick from below. But Vegeta just shrugged it off with his arm and then went to counter-punch Goku into the ground but only found his fist indenting itself on the ground as Goku had vanished. Goku swiftly came back shooting in from the side with flying kick only for Vegeta to vanish in turn. Goku quickly skidded to a halt with both feet and then turned around and caught Vegeta as he was incoming with a kick from the side of his own and they both just connected with each other. Both guys were rocked and reeled from this double connection. But they soon recovered with doing twirling flips to land crouched on their own two feet.

It was then that Goku simply flickered away and disappeared but this time he didn't reappear from somewhere like the audience was anticipating. This time it seemed like he'd just disappeared into thin air. But to those few who had seen it before, namely those members of the Z-Fighters, knew this technique. Goku was simply keeping up his fast movement to make it look like he was invisible to his opponent. It was what he'd used to defeat Krillin in the 22nd Tournament. But this was so much faster and far more advanced then that early version as none of even the Z-Fighters could keep up and figure out where he was. While Vegeta stayed in the middle of the preverbial storm and seemed to be on guard looking for something. But then finally evidence appeared to Vegeta's trained eyes. Small pieces of broken tile skipped up from where Goku had done one of his quick steps. And that was _all_ Vegeta needed.

Vegeta quickly leaped into the air with his arms and knees tucked in like in the fetal position and a bright shining light seemed to emanate from his center as he gathered energy. "Let's see you try to dodge this. My new finishing move. **Shining Storm Attack****!**" screamed out Vegeta the new name of his attack as he outstretched all his limbs on command and the energy around him formed up into yellow energy wings shaped like diamonds. Those diamond shaped wings then broke up and splintered off into several smaller shards of sharp pieces of yellow energy and they made their way to the ring.

Large pieces of these shards began embedding themselves in the ring and soon Goku's image would appear dodging the the fragments. But one by one Goku started running out of places to dodge to and soon he found himself stuck in the middle of the ring cornered by four extremely large pieces of shards. Then Vegeta could be seen overhead with a javelin-like piece of energy in hand and ready to throw for the apparent coup-de-gras. Vegeta threw it just like a javelin but just as it came close to striking, Goku unleashed a mighty roar and powered up a tornado of yellow Super Saiyan energy that swept away all the shards on the field and caught them up in it's funnel. It all came heading for the still airborne Vegeta. Although caught off guard by the unorthodox attack, Vegeta quickly and desperately countered it by swiping out an aerial slice of white energy that cut through and cancelled out the tornado funnel and all it's interned shards._ (A/N: Basically imagine a DBZ sized version of __Kai__'s __Blazing Gate Tempest Attack__ from __Beyblade__ season 3. That and also __Tyson__'s counter to that attack when they had their classic battle in the season. Only Vegeta didn't use feathers and Goku used sorta like a big tornado version of that brief energy swirl that we saw when __Gohan__ powered up to __Full__-__Power __Super __Saiyan__ against Cell in the anime.)_

Vegeta landed in a squatting position few feet away from Goku. 'So you want to play rough huh? Kakarot?' thought Vegeta as he sent a glance at Goku's way. Goku for his part just relaxed from his power up pose and looked Vegeta with a relatively pleased look on his face. "Wow Vegeta, your proving to be quite a tougher challenge then I thought." praised Goku. "Likewise Kakarot." shot back a smirk Vegeta. "But with that last attack and the counter afterwards you used up much too much energy. You might not be able to keep up with me from here on in." pointed out Goku. "Just shut up Kakarot! Tell it to someone who cares. If I'd wanted an opinion it certainly wouldn't be yours. Just a little spent energy won't tell the outcome of this fight. NOW LET'S JUST GET ON WITH IT!" viciously rebuked Vegeta. Goku complied and they both sunk into their iconic stances.

The two then rushed at each other and once again engaged in a hard physical battle. The two battle hard toe-to-toe in the middle of the ring with fists and feet flying. The battle was so powerful that imprints were breaking themselves into the ring floor several yards away from the sheer force of the missing punches and kicks. The audience could sure as hell feel the rumblings on this one. But finally when Vegeta started to loose advantage and was starting to backpedal and going on the defensive and it looked like he was starting to wear a little from having used up his energy earlier. But Vegeta wasn't going to throw in the towel because of his apparent weakness. Vegeta outwitted the stronger Goku by leaning out backwards when Goku overcomitted to a punch that leaned forward with all his body. Vegeta then took advantage of this and used it to give Goku the same drop-kick he'd once given Android 19 to kick Goku high into the air. It was a cheap but effective desperate move done by a man who was clearly on the backfoot.

As Goku sailed up into the air Vegeta sped ahead of him and went to give him a double ax-handle to the cranium but Goku was too clever for that and simply vanished out of the way. He then appeared behind Vegeta but before any action could be took, Vegeta showed that he can play that game too and so promptly fazed out and got behind Goku. But then Goku returned the favor again and then again and again several times until they finally reached the end of the game and the two both vanished for a few seconds. Then a loud banging sound and ripple later then both Vegeta and Goku came out. Vegeta appeared moving away from it and then Goku appeared shortly afterwards in pursuit, apparently having come out inconclusively out of their little vanish war.

Goku pursued Vegeta but then Vegeta reversed course and Goku was prepared. Both fighters having elbows ready to strike they seemed to head for yet another collision. But just as Goku reached him, he just passed through the after-image of Vegeta. Vegeta then came in from above and drove into Goku like a human missile. Burying his two fists into Goku's back with his whole body stretched out like a pole. Vegeta continued to drive Goku into the ring floor. When they hit the floor and small dust cloud erupted from where they hit. A blue blur then escaped from the dust cloud. Vegeta then materialised himself out of the blur and stood standing in the middle of the air several feet above and away from the crash.

Vegeta then promptly brought his hand out, palm open and facing Goku's downed position. A large blue ball of energy started to generate itself where Vegeta's hand was open. To anyone who knew Vegeta they instantly recognized one of Vegeta's favorite signature moves. "Big Bang Attack!" yelled out Vegeta as he unleashed the infamous blue orb. Goku was just getting up from laying on his ass when he noticed the incoming attack from above. He quickly brought his two index fingers to his forehead and Instant Transmissioned himself out of there. Leaving the attack to explode harmlessly on the ring floor. The next thing Vegeta knew was that he found Goku floating right next to him with a Kamehameha cupped in his hands at the ready. "KamehameHAAAA!" screamed out Goku as he unleashed the legendary blue energy beam point-blank at Vegeta's side.

A bright flash later, Vegeta was engulfed by a cloud of smoke and when he came out his body was sailing limp and trailing bits of smoke. He then landed in a heap in the ring near the edge. Goku landed softly on his feet, one after the other a short distance away and started to walk slowly towards Vegeta. "That's it Vegeta... it's over." said Goku. "Nothing is over! Not yet!" Vegeta defiantly spit out as he struggled to get up. "Yes it is... Look at you, your energy is dropping at a considerable rate, much faster than mine now. You can't win at this rate." explained Goku, hating to seeing Vegeta being so stubborn. He was clearly breathing heavy while Goku was nowhere near as pronounced though clearly still a little labored. "D-d-d-Daaaaarrrrrnnnnn yooouuuuuuu KAKAROT!" cursed out Vegeta in a scream.

Vegeta then crossed his forearms in front of his face, bent his knees and seemed to be powering up with a round and jagged purple aura he used to enshroud himself in. Goku recognized it as the freaky aura that Vegeta had used when he had powered up for his Gallic gun back when they fought the first time all those years ago. "Vegeta!? What are you doing!?" sounded an alarmed Goku. "No more games Kakarot! I'm going to settle this once and for all one way or the other!" declared Vegeta as he then rocketed high above into the sky, leaving behind a purple streak tailing him from all the way down from the spot he'd left. A round "nub" could be seen at the top of the streak, like the head of a snake. Once he was high enough, Vegeta stopped and cupped his hands opposite the way the Kamehemeha was cupped. "What is Vegeta thinking? Has he completely lost his mind!? He's going to destroy the whole Earth if he uses that!" exclaimed Piccolo as he, along with the rest of the Z-Fighters looked on in panic. "Well, he's either lost his mind from Goku beating him and is not thinking straight or..." went to theorize Yamcha but he was cut off by Gohan finishing his sentence. "... Or he's thinking about forcing the issue and preventing my father from using Instant transmission and hopefully beating my father through a decisive contest." finished Gohan. "Yeah, I guess there is that too." replied Yamcha as he then went back to looking out worriedly.

"You won't be using that annoying teleporting move this time Kakarot. There's absolutely no way you're stopping my Gallic Gun this time." yelled out Vegeta from high above while he was stuck in his pose encased in purple light. There was no doubt now that Vegeta was challenging Goku to a final decisive duel. Well Goku was just as equal to meet the challenge. "Let's finish THIS!" shouted out Goku as he quickly powered up his Super Saiyan aura and then cupped his hands to the side and charging up his famous signature move. "Kaaaaaaa... Meeeeee... " chanted Goku as he charged up the famous blue ball with rays of light coming out of it and growing bigger and stronger with each second. "Haaaaaaaaaaaah..." chanted Vegeta from high on above as he charged up his attack. "Haaaaaaaaaa... Meeeeeeeee..." continued chanting Goku. At that moment the two auras, one round and purple with jagged spikes sticking out of it high above, and the other down below that was golden yellow and spiking all over the place were staring down a each other. Vegeta's aura was sending black and yellow colored electricity that sparked around him as he charged up. It was an amazing sight and the audience were seeing and experiencing a truly iconic moment between true rivals, and somehow in the pit of their guts the audience knew it.

"_This is it!_ GALLIC GUN!" called out Vegeta as he fired his infamous purple beam. "HAAAAAAAAAAAA!" screamed likewise Goku as he stomped his foot which embedded the ground and he countered with firing his own famously blue colored Kamehameha beam. The two beams collided in a mighty collision of blue and purple. The beams stuck in equal balance and both Goku and Vegeta then sent more energy into the attacks. The extra power brightened the light of the attacks and from then on it looked like Goku and Vegeta's bodies were bathed in blue and purple respectively. The attacking beams got slightly thicker but neither seemed to gain any ground on each other. The attacks swayed back and forth as the struggle between the two strained. It was truly an epic and mighty struggle worthy of the mightiest Titans. But neither of the two seemed to be gaining any of the decisive advantage.

Then finally Vegeta's side began to get an advantage. It seemed that his side was pushing down slightly and seemed to be gaining the upper hand in this tug-o-war. "C-Come on. That's it!" said Vegeta as he continued to strain in the mighty struggle. But then Goku decided on his end, feeling desperate from the struggle and still straining heavily on his end, decided to go with a desperate last minute tactic. "Super KaioKEEEEENNNNNN!" screamed out Goku as he used a desperate, almost never used Super Saiyan powered version of his famous technique. Goku's aura turned jagged red and his body was bathed in red. A new rush of power entered in his Kamehameha and it rushed up to nearly double the size of the blue beam. Vegeta' was quickly finding his beam being overtaken.

"Noooo, C-Come on! Not like this! _Not the same way AGAIN_!?" screamed out Vegeta as he tried to keep control but it was too late. Once again Goku had defeated him with the late use of the Kaioken and once again the large blue ball of energy came heading straight for Vegeta and envelopping his purple beam. The attack hit and Vegeta screamed as he disappeared in the brilliant white and blue light. The beam continued on into the sky until it was just a twinkle as it made it's way through the atmosphere and into space where it would vanish off to dissipate somewhere. The twinkle eventually vanished off in the sky and that was the end of it.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts****: Well, there you have it. An epic first half to the fight. Most of this first half at Super Saoyan I admit was inspired by an **_**epic**_** sprite battle video on ****youtube**** called ****Son Goku vs. Prince Vegeta Remake**** by ****ShuhanX****. If you want to see what most of what I wrote, look that up. I admit I didn't have many ideas to what to do for I fight between Super Saiyan level ones Goku and Vegeta at this stage. So I took a bit of license and took it from someone else. Although I did rewrite the choreograph a bit just for my own to reflect my own stuff. But most of it is there, I just replaced in a few places and added a few of my own original moves in a few places more. But I still think that it's good and I hope you liked it.**


	29. The Match between Rivals Ends

**Chapter: 29**

_**:The match between Rivals ends**_

_**:An Unexpected Conclusion**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Goku still had his arms up and pointed at the sky when the light of his amazing Kamehameha, that was just a twinckle in the sky like the brightess star, finally shimmered out. At that point Goku lowered his arms and looked panted his breath while covered in sweat. The effort from his Kaioken powered Super Saiyan Kamehameha really exhausted his powers right then. In fact the upsurge in power nearly tore him apart. But there he stood in one piece victorious, if somewhat exhausted. Goku then looked up in his exhausted stance and the people close to him expected that he looked up in remorse for what he'd done.

Indeed, many people looked up to where he was looking, expecting to see Vegeta gone, killed by Goku and vaporised by his attack. But that was not the case as people saw Vegeta floating down, holding his right arm with a hole being torn on his blue spandex suit at his right shoulder, his left knee, and left elbow as well as having his Saiyan battle armor being cracked and his body being marked all over by scuff marks. Vegeta floated down until he landed and staggered on to the floor.

"_Daaaaaaammmmmmnnnnn Yoooooouuuuuuu Kakarot_!" cursed out Vegeta. Goku just breathlessly stood up straighter and stood his ground under Vegeta's hateful glare. "Man Vegeta, your tougher then I thought. I was actually worried that I might've killed you with that last attack. But now, it's over for good. You energy was reducing even before that attack and now... you've taken so much damage and your energy is so low that there's no way that you can win anymore." warned Goku. Vegeta however was not willing to give up yet, to admit that he was beaten again. But at the same time in the pit of his gut he knew that Goku was telling the truth.

"_No way_! _Never_ Kakarot! I will never submit to you. You will either have to finish me or kill me before I submit myself to you Kakarot." shot out Vegeta, stubborn as ever. "Didn't I tell you already? It's over! You can't win. Give up." pressed Goku. But meanwhile, Vegeta's mind started running flashbacks going back to all the times Goku had either bested or humiliated him going all the way from the first time he'd defeated him. His mind ran the image of Goku beating him in the Kamehameha/Gallic Gun duel from the past and compared it to the one from just right now. It was the same exact way as last time, it was as though nothing at all had changed between them all this time. "_Daaaarrrrnnnnnn Yooooouuuuu Kararot_! Why is it that always all the time must you best me!? Why must time and time again must you prove yourself better than me? Why? Why? _WHY_? AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggg!" screamed out Vegeta in endless frustration and anger at being forever eclipsed and overshadowed by Goku.

However as his level of aggrevation and frustration reached new levels, he somehow unconsciously unlocked a new power. Vegeta reared back and started screaming at the top of his lungs. "AAAAaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggg!" he screamed out in angry fury and an explosion of energy burst forth from him with the force of a hurricane. The tiles at his feet cracked in a spiderweb formation and his Super Saiyan aura grew to a giant size and caused powerful winds to blow at everyone in the stadium. Blue lightning sparked to life around his body and started permeate the yellow aura. The winds kicked up a dust cloud and soon everything around Vegeta was obscured. But soon the power trip and the hurricane subsided and the large yellow aura shrunk to where it was obscured by the thick dust cloud. But then the dust cloud parted, and revealed Vegeta standing there as a Super Saiyan 2, proud and maniacal grin attached.

"V-V-Vegeta... H-How did you?" stammered Goku, being totally flabbergasted at this unseen for transformation. Vegeta for his part just looked down and flexed his hands, checking his power and having a look on his face that said 'I'm liking _this_. I could get used to this.' and then he looked at Goku with a look of complete satisfaction. "Well Kakarot, it seems that _I_ have ascended. I've finally ascended to the brat's level. Now it seems that the shoe is on the other foot and now _I_ have the advantage." said Vegeta, looking confident as hell. "Well Vegeta, this _is_ a surprise." said Goku, looking oddly excited. "Indeed, even more so to me. I've _finally_ surpassed you Kakarot. So now what are you going to do?" asked Vegeta, looking exhilarated at the prospect of finally, after all the beatings and all the strife, he was finally going to beat down his deeply hated rival.

"Well, looks like I have no choice, but to do _THIS_!" returned Goku. At that point, Goku bent his knees, pulled back his arms at the elbow and clenched his teeth as he sat in the "power up pose". He gave a grunt and a sharp yell and then a sudden burst of his aura and accompanied by wind indicated that he'd powered up. The sudden burst of wind quickly subsided and revealed Goku with blue lightning entwining his body and even spikier hair adorning his crown, having swiftly transformed to a Super Saiyan 2.

The maniacal grin on Vegeta's face disappeared, replaced by clenched teeth and a closed fist that was shaking. He was agitated alright, but all his anger seemed to boil down to one question. "How long has it been since you were able to do_ that_?" posed Vegeta, clearly holding back from going off to tear Goku apart. "Not long, I've only been able to do it about a good two weeks now." responded Goku. "So you've been holding back on me this _whole time_ Kakarot?" accused Vegeta, clearly this pissed him off even more. "Not really, I wouldn't exactly be calling it "holding back" this whole time. I'm still pretty rough at it unlike Gohan whose had a year to master it. It was still too wild and radical for me to risk using this form against you. But now that you've done it I guess that it forced my hand. But now that we both can do it and Gohan's little friend can do it too why don't we call it something different? Ascended Super Saiyan is too long, so what do you say we just call this Super Saiyan 2 from now on?" suggested Goku. The grin on Vegeta's face returned. "So, a battle between two Super Saiyan 2's? I can't wait." was Vegeta's response. "Yeah... " was Goku's single response denoting his excitement at the prospect. And then the two just charged headlong into combat with one another.

They both leaped into the air and just charged at each other, engaging in a fierce up close battle of fist and knees with a fierceness not yet seen it the tournament. Their auras were so close they seemed to combine and the blue lightning from their forms seemed to permeate around them like an electrical storm. Some sparks could even be seen sparking up in between the tiles of the ring floor like static electricity. And the two entities seemed to be fighting inside in the middle of this storm of blue and yellow.

The battle was intense inside but it finally stopped when Goku caught one punch at the wrist and then swiftly caught another one, like one after the other. Vegeta then went for a knee but Goku countered it with his own. The two then went into a battle of just hitting with knees simultaniously one after another. But then after a while Vegeta broke this monotony by headbutting Goku and causing him to break apart due to the pain as he fell back clutching his face. Vegeta then took advantage by punching several times to the mid-section with brutal one-two combinations. He then followed it up with a left knee to the back of the neck followed by his right to the stomach and finally with his right elbow to the back of the neck for a powerful and ruthless contorting combination. The various people in the audience, both some friends and bystanders, winced at that maneuver.

Meanwhile the fighting managed to resume as Goku and Vegeta somehow got out of that position and continued to fight at a blistering pace. But then Goku caught Vegeta with a kick to the gut that embedded itself and forced his midsection to contort further back and Vegeta's arms and legs went forward. But Goku pulled back to deliver a follow up blow. Pulling back his left fist at the midsection and air seemed to channel itself into the fist, readying for a super high velocity blow. But when Goku shot to deliver it Vegeta managed dodge it by shooting upwards and then coming down behind Goku and gaining his backside. Veget then leaned back his right leg, bottom half of his leg angled back from the knee, ready for a right haymaker kick. But then when he shot it Goku managed to block it by leaning his body back and blocking with his forearm and bicep. He then went for an immediate heavy counter-punch but Vegeta blocked the heavy hit with his forearm. Then counter after counter was blocked and then the two sped up their fighting to where they were once again fighting at a fiercely high intensity pace.

"Wow! Would you look at those two go? They're _really_ laying into each other." commented Yamcha, amazed at the level of brutally and _intensity_ that the two were going through at this pace. Not only that, but it was amazing even to most Z-Fighters how they could tactically go _into_ each others moves like they did. "Yes indeed, but remember that these particular two are _real_ veterans when it comes to being as warriors. They know each other better than anyone else when it comes to being out there. They know what things come and so they're just simply cutting each other off at the pass. And the increase in their power is offering for some pretty devastating results." commented Piccolo, stoic as usual. "Yeah, because remember that these two _are_ Super Saiyan 2s now. Their aggressiveness have been amped up along with their anger as well as their speed and power. It's the drawback to the Super Saiyan 2. Your anger takes over more then even the usual Super Saiyan." said Gohan, speaking from experience as he continued to sit at his bed and watching from the window. "So in other words a double edged sword?" Tien generally summed up. Gohan just turned to him and gave a reluctant single nod. The gang then went back to watching the brutally intense match.

To the bystanders who were just watching, it was one of the most brutal displays of veteran combat than anyone had ever seen. It was monumentally different from any match up to date as it seemed that these two were real veterans when it came to their powers and were _really_ knowing what they were doing with their crazy or innovative ways in which they would either defend or attack. It was brutality at it's smartest and most technical and it shocked people. This was a _whole_ new level of fighting. And no matter how brutal, they just couldn't turn away.

Somewhere along the lines Vegeta knocked down Goku with a kick. Vegeta then raised his left hand, gathered a small yellow ball of energy and then launched it at the descending Goku. But Goku managed to flip before hitting the floor and hopped himself up on one leg thereby missing the beam Vegeta had thrown which exploded harmlessly at the spot that Goku had just leaped up from and while simultaniously shooting a beam with a straight up right arm as he came right back at him. All in one move.

But then Vegeta just swatted away and deflected the beam that Goku had thrown and then when Goku arrived at him they both then started to fight furiously again. The fight was evenly matched as they both fought fiercely and started trading offenses back and forth but eventually when Vegeta got his turn on the offensive he started to sandwich Goku with kicks from both legs whic Goku had to block. Again and again Goku had to sandwich himself between these kicks, but finally when he caught the left one he went in with a counter kick of his own with his right. But Vegeta caught that kick and the two found themselves in the same position mirroring each other with caught kicks, an even trade once again. They both then immediately broke away from each other and then went back in to fighting with each other at an evenly matched furious pace.

Ripples of power echoed with sounds that were like far off explosions as they appeared every now and then from inbetween the two fighting figures. Such was then power of their shots that they were trading that they were creating power ripples from in between themselves even though they were still only fighting in close with one another. But then they started to vanish and reappear somewhere else, still in the middle of fighting and their fight climbing higher up with each new appearance. Then they just disappeared altogether, their super speeds having reached where they were no longer visible to the common audience and even the Z-Fighters. And all that was left as evidence to their fight was the air ripples in the sky that denoted the power of the shots they were slinging at with each other. This concussive display rained down on the senses of the audience for a bit of a while.

But then suddenly the two fighters reappeared in the sky above and then started winging seemingly hundreds of blasts of energy at each other and they were ALL being cancelled out by each other's. It was quite the fireworks display as far as the audience was concerned as the sky was filled with bright yellow streaks that were impacting each other and blowing up in a brilliant display. It was quite the switch from the air ripples they'd been dealing with earlier, an even worse assault to the ears then even before, if that was possible. But eventually this cataphony of beautiful destruction came to an end. Both Goku and Vegeta suddenly stopped shooting blasts at each other and switched to cupping their hands in very contrasting but very familiar stances. Those of the Kamehameha and Final Flash respectively.

Having come to this point where it was rather obvious that neither of them were going to make any headway with each other intercepting one another's blasts perfectly and cancelling each other out, that they had opted to switch to the big guns. "KaaameeehaaaMEEEEEE!" chanted Goku. "FINAL!" simultaniously chanted Vegeta in turn as they both powered up their attacks. To those in the audience they had at least a little idea to what was going on. But to those who actually knew the two and their history they had _every_ idea as to what was going on. "What!? Their unleashing the Kamehameha AND the Final Flash up there!?" exclaimed a pretty scared shitless Piccolo. "Uh Oh, this isn't good. With their power levels at Super Saiyan 2 there's no telling how dangerous this could get. Even from up there." warned Gohan, who looked pretty worried himself even. "Everybody! GET DOWN!" cried out Piccolo, trying to warn both his comrades and the audience, but it was too late.

"HAAAAAAAHHH!/FLASH!" simultaniously cried out both Goku and Vegeta as they both fired off their attacks at the same time. The two attacks hit each other and when they did a large "globe" of energy that was half blue and half yellow was created from the two "bulbs" of the attacks crashing together. The two attacks stood still as neither side was able to get the upper hand. And as they two warriors struggled they kept pouring more and more power into the beam clash as they urged more and more to try to overwhelm the other. But as they poured more and more power they only just kept feeding it's size as it just grew bigger and bigger. Pretty soon the "ball" of energy grew to a giant size that covered just about the size of the stadium and reached accross to touch on both Goku and Vegeta's positions. The combined energy then overloaded itself and in a brilliant flash of light, both Goku and Vegeta were overwhelmed by the sheer force of the resulting explosion of raw energy.

When the light subsided and the audience could uncover their eyes all they could make out was two figures plummeting to down Earth and more specifically the opposite sides of the ring down below while both were trailing smoke. Both fell down with a resulting crash and were soon found laying face down on the ring floor near the edges of the ring on opposite sides. The audience was stone silent as they held on waited breath at this dramatic event. Even the announcer himself was speechless as his mouth was hanging open.

Finally, the two determined warriors finally stirred and started to slowly get up shakingly. Each moment of painfully slow shakiness as the two determined warriors struggled to get was an agonizing tease to the aghast audience. Finally the two managed to prop themselves standing up with their chests heavily puffing in and out as they looked exhausted even though they continued to stare determinedly at one another. Clearly that last move had taken its toll on them but they were still no less determined to continue their duel. Both of them reactivated their auras and stood there in their exhausted stances, waiting for the one to make the first move.

"You know Vegeta? *Huff*Huff* That was pretty dangerous what you did up there*Huff*Huff*." stated Goku as he panted heavily. "Perhaps, but so did you if you haven't forgotten. *Huff*Huff* But your power level is dropping fast. That last attack seems to have taken quite a bit out of you hasn't it Kakarot?" rebutted Vegeta. "Yeah, but the same could be said about you." smirkingly returned Goku. "Dghh!" choked out Vegeta as he didn't have any rebuttal to that.

"I'm amazed Vegeta. Even down at this stage we're still completely even. I've got to admit I didn't think things would last this long. You've lasted a whole heck of a lot longer than I thought you would." admitted Goku. "Hmph, I could say the same thing about you Kakarot. But no matter what I'll be winning today in the end. I've waited FAR too long for THIS to lose now. Ever since I first met you you've been like a wall I can't overcome. You've always been first when it comes to me and it's high time I change that. A Prince of Saiyans reduced to being ranked below a low level clown. I refuse to live my life as YOUR second. That time is over now. I will no longer let myself to lose to you anymore." ranted Vegeta, the bitterness and frustration as well as even a bit of regret emotionally coming from the expressions on his face. HE was going for the win come hell or high water. Goku seemed to have an impassive, but, strangely understanding look appearing on his face. "Well, I guess if that's how you really feel. Then I guess I have no choice but to see this through to the end. I'll give it EVERYTHING I've got. Let's finish this Vegeta!" replied Goku. "Yes! Let's finish this fight... And... ALL THE FIGHTS LEADING UP 'TIL NOW!" screamed Vegeta as he and Goku prepared for one last showdown. They powered up their auras even more one last time and waited for the other to make first move. The wind blew in between them and kicked up small waves of dust while they just stood there, like two gunslingers in a showdown. You could cut the tension with a knife.

Finally there came movement as they just rushed at each other. They both caught a punch coming from the other and then they both crossed their arms across their front forwards in order to make the others arms useless to them. But then they found themselves in the weird position of having both of them being tangled up and then they both resorted to headbutting each other. It was a weird position seeing them come forehead to forehead with both of them having angry sneering faces. The audience was split between the two of them as time and time again their heads came together and it was hard to tell who was going to win this contest. They both poured in their powers and their auras grew bigger as they tried to overpower the other but to no afail.

Then they finally both let go of their hands and Vegeta was the first to try to take advantage by trying a kick from the left. But Goku blocked it with his forearm. Vegeta then used the momentum to get passed Goku and put his hands on the ground to try to handstand kick Goku in the chin but Goku managed to dodge his chin out of the way. Goku then rapidly took advantage of Vegeta's precarious position to lift up his knee and knee Vegeta in the gut. But Vegeta used the momentum to flip from the upside down to the rightside up again. But then as he saw Goku coming for him out of the corner of his eye, he dropped down his left hand to the ground and tripped up Goku. But Goku managed to get back putting both his hands on the ground and handstand flipping back up. But Vegeta was now running at him and as soon as he was standing he barely dodged the incoming punch coming for his chin. Goku then used the momentum to flip away again and then came from above with a weird roll in order to come and smash the back of Vegeta's head with a double Ax-Handle. But Vegeta used Goku's own airborne momentum to grab his leg and the slam him down to the floor. Goku then barely rolled out of the way of a foot that embedded itself in the place where his head used to be. Goku got back up but Vegeta was rolling in with a second kick that Goku just barely ducked. In fact a few strands of golden hair were clipped from his precious head of hair. But Goku used the positioning to trip up Vegeta with his hand. For a moment in time, both Goku and Vegeta were sailing off balance less then a foot off the ground and they both saw on each others faces great smirks of enjoyment. THIS is what they wanted, THIS is what excited them and THIS is what they lived for and what they understood deeper about each other than anybody else. And they now both _knew_ it from the other. _(A/N: Basically think of that famous sequence from near the end the fight between SSJ2 Majin Vegeta and SSJ2 Goku in the anime. The one where they ended up with both of them being tripped and they both had smiles? This is exactly that same sequence.)_ Although their moves had been slow by comparison to the point of even the average person could see them move. Mostly due to their exhaustion at this point. But the sequence of moves had been mind blowing nonetheless and the audience was impressed to say the least.

Then, both Vegeta and Goku hopped up and connected with each other, with blocking both a shin and a forearm. then they both returned to fighting for a few seconds but then both swinging passed each other with punches. But then Vegeta swung away and touched one hand to the ground to flip himself to his feet and then launched a beam at Goku. But Goku flipped and did the same and then both their beams hit each other and the resulting explosion blew them both back. When the smoke cleared both Goku and Vegeta were laying on their backs, laid clear out.

Everybody who was watching looked on in stunned silence at this dramatic turn of events. But finally, after several seconds of stunned silence, which by the way he had mostly been throughout this match, the announcer guy finally found his voice and stammer through some lines. "Woah! Ladies and gentlemen, after an epic match between these two, it appears that both are now down and out. In that case it appears that I'll have to begin the count. 1..." started the announcer guy, as he began to count down to the 10 count.

Both fighters then began to stir, their legs and arms twitching as they struggled to even move. Both had been taken out of their energy and ther exhaustion was to the max. 'Got to... get up...' they both thought almost simultaniously. "2... 3..." continued the announcer. Both fighters were now struggling to get up, their determination as warriors on the line.

"4... and 5..." still continued on the announcer. They were now just struggling to get to one knee. "6!" continued on the announcer. 'Got to beat him!' they both determinedly thought, nothing short of full victory fuelling them. Both Goku and Vegeta were now on one knee, but they were both struggling to make to full a vertical basis. But Vegeta seemed to pulling up as Goku just stayed at one knee no matter how he tried, his legendary determination not making his body move this time.

"7... and 8..." still continued the announcer. 'GOT TO WINNNN!' screamed out Vegeta as he managed to somehow rally enough determination to push past his broken body and push through get to a vertical basis with one last rush. The look Goku's face was one of just sheer shock and stunned amazement as he was still on one knee.

"Amazing! Amazing ladies and gentlemen! Vegeta has just beaten the count and has gotten up to a vertical basis first!" declared the announcer. A totally proud and self-gratifying grin was etched on Vegeta's face as he cast it at Goku as if to say 'In your face! Yes I've finally done it! I've beaten YOU Kakarot!' but he didn't say it.

But then, out of nowhere, there was a buzzer noise. The announcer and everyone else looked to a corner where they heard the noise come from and they saw the judges box. One judge in the middle waved his hand as some sort of signal and shook his head. The announcer guy nodded as he seemed to acknowlege the signal and then turned to address the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that the 30 minute time limit has expired. And due to the incomplete nature of this bout we must end this as a draw." declared the announcer guy.

"Oh! #% $%# %$ #!" sweared and cursed Vegeta. He had been sooo close to finally beating his hated rival when _this_ had to happen. He was so mad he couldn't even see straight as he stomped on and pumped his fists in some sort of angry dance. It would be actually funny if you didn't already serious this was. That and plus just how _dangerous_ he could get when he was angry. Though people there watching could feel for the guy, coming so close to winning but just having it ripped away. But the general public could see just as well as the Z-Fighters themselves just how much of a jerk Vegeta could be, so they couldn't all feel _that_ badly for him.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME?! Not now! I had him!" raged Vegeta as he pointed at the announcer. "I'm sorry but that's in the rules. This is still a semi-final bout and as such it's subject to be contested under the rules that govern the rest of the tournament matches. Since the contest ended without a decisive winner, even with under the cloud of... extreme circumstances surrounding the bout, we have no choice but to rule this a draw." exposited the announcer guy. "But what about the judges? You mentioned in the rules earlier at the start that if the fights went to decision they would be ruled by judges did you not? Surely they saw that I was winning the fight all the way around and that surely they could see that it was my victory?" motioned Vegeta, pointing at the announcer guy.

The two of them then turned to the panel of judges who the head judge just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. The announcer guy then turned back to Vegeta. "I'm sorry but apparently the judges couldn't determine what was going on exactly throughout most of the fighting due to the uhh... *Cough* extreme movements involved. I'm afraid they couldn't reach a verdict about who's fight was actually won so they had to rule it a draw also." again explained the announcer guy. "Damned weakling human judges and their weak senses. They couldn't appreciate a true fight even if it kicked them in the head. They couldn't appreciate the true greatness of my victory." muttered Vegeta under his breath as he turned to sulk. His mutterings may be low but they were just loud enough for Goku and the announcer to hear him. Goku for his part, still holding his spot at one knee just chuckled at the whole situation.

"Heh heh heh... Sorry Vegeta, looks like you don't get your victory today. Looks like you'll have to settle for a draw this time." said Goku. "Oh shut up Kakarot! If it wasn't for this tiny ring and it's confining space and confining rules of this tournament you would've been finished. If this had been a true fight somewhere out on in the open I would've been able to truly cut loose and I would've been victorious." snapped Vegeta. "Heh heh heh... Sorry Vegeta, but looks like we'll just have to do that next time." continued to chuckle Goku. "Grrrr... Kakarot! Next time we'll be doing this the proper way. Somewhere out in the open!" demanded Vegeta, pointing his finger accusingly at Goku. "Your on." simply returned Goku.

But then suddenly, Vegeta seemed to collapse. Falling to his knees and his hair going back to it's normal black. His energy down from the fight and the adrenaline from yelling at the announcer that had been the only thing keeping him up was finally wearing off. Goku as well slumped down as his hair returned to it's normal black spikyness. "Medics! Get these two out on stretchers!" shouted the announcer. A pair of stretcher teams quickly carted off both Goku and Vegeta. But as he was carried away, a grin seemed to etch itself onto Vegeta's face. As he thought back to this last fight, for some reason he didn't feel all that mad. Sure he may not have won, but at least he managed to walk away with a tie as they both would have to. And that, strangely enough gave him a sense of peace. After all these years he had at least gotten _some_ pound of flesh out of his eternal rival. And it felt _gooood_.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, Vegeta transforms to Super Saiyan 2 for the first time in his life and we get a mega round 2 between two Super Saiyan 2s. So in the end they both go to a draw. I wanted to give Vegeta at least a little sense of triumph after all these years and I think that a tie is as best as he can get. I think that in at least equaling your rival you can find a sense of triumph if you keep just getting beaten all the time. I know that Vegeta normally should be fuming at this result, but I think that it's not **_**all**_** that unreasonable that after all these years of failure that a perfect tie would suit him just fine. In his mind, I'm making him think that he was just one step closer to beating Goku. But unfortunately for him, we all know that that'll never happen.**

**And so with the battle between the two Super Saiyan 2s I couldn't exactly repeat the exact performance that they had when they fought in the Majin Buu Saga since this is a different time and setting after all. They couldn't use all the same wide area moves as this is a stadium and a more closed environment. I tried to use as few of the original moves from the Canon as I could as well so I could save them for a possible sequel in the future. There's no telling, and I think that with a tie like this that could still mean a showdown just like the cannon could still happen later on. I wanted to save some moves for that possible future showdown. And I think that I managed to do that while using enough moves to show that they were their Super Saiyan 2 selves and they fought like it while still being original and showing them in a different time and setting. Hope you enjoyed all the same.**


	30. The Finals Are Decided

**Chapter: 30**

_**:The Finals Are Decided**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

"Well ladies and gentlemen, looks like we have quite a situation here. We have highly unlikely scenario of BOTH of the semi-finals ending in draws. This is unprecedented in the HISTORY of the World Tournament. And since there are no official rules covering this event, we are going to have to deliberate between myself and the judges on what exactly we are setting to take place next. And also we'll be taking a bit of a 20 minute break to repair the broken ring from the last match. So please bare with us ladies and gentlemen." explained the announcer guy as he addressed the crowd of the situation. At that point many of the people in the audience started to murmur about themselves and started to file through to get refreshments and stuff in the inter-time. And then the crews were seen going to work on repairing the broken up ring. It was just in case, for whatever it was decided, that IF there was to be another match, that the ring would be ready for it.

But meanwhile, the Z-Fighters were having deliberations among themselves as well. About what to do when the decision came about the fighting. Goku and Vegeta had been stopped from their journey on the stretchers by the other members of the Z-Fighters, simply stating to the doctors that "they" would be taking care of it and they left it at that. Although energy depleted and slightly injured, both Goku and Vegeta were now up and amongst their friends.

"What do you suppose they'll do Piccolo?" questioned Goku to Piccolo. "I don't know. Having both semi-finals ending up in ties and especially you and Vegeta were surprising to say the least. But for whatever they decide, I suggest that each of you take a senzu bean in case so you can be at each of your maximum battle strength for whatever comes." gruffly answered Piccolo. "Yeah, I think that's best." agreed Goku. The rest of them agreed too with a nod. Yamcha started passing around the beans bag at the three strongest fighters in the group. They were just going to leave Brody to writhe in the infirmary for the rest of the tournament. It was best to leave that guy out. "And while I'm at it, maybe I should fix up your suit Goku." again suggested Piccolo as he came up to the newly fixed up saiyan. His clothes _did_ still look pretty tattered up from his fight with Vegeta.

Gohan had just been given a senzu bean when then it was Vegeta's turn. Yamcha went to empty the bag in Vegeta's open hand when nothing came out. Yamcha looked on incredulous as nothing came out and he started shaking the bag again and again. Vegeta looked pretty pissed as he hissed with anger at Yamcha's incompetense. Yamcha for his part looked pretty scared by the murderous look on Vegeta's face and that made him shake at the bag even more in a desperate but vain attempt to search for a last bean. When it was clear that there was no bean left, Yamcha looked up from his position looking from below the overhanging bag and looked at him with a nervous smile. "Heheheh... sorry Vegeta, but it looks like we've run out of senzu beans." Yamcha nervously smiled at Vegeta. Honestly, running out of senzu beans at the last minute. Vegeta was beyond pissed off by it and if he wasn't _that_ injured he would be tearing apart poor Yamcha at this very moment. But unfortunately for him and fortunately for Yamcha he was _that_ injured and he couldn't do anything about it. At that moment Vegeta's attention turned to something else and everyone else breathed a bit of a sigh of relief.

At that moment the announcer guy came to address the crowd. "Excuse us ladies and gentlemen, but it appears that in our deliberation we've reached a decision. Due to the unprecedented event of having both semi-finals end up in ties, we are going to make a one-time unprecedented exception and hold a fatal four-way match for the final match. Since all four of the participating semi-finalists couldn't reach a decision between themselves. We are inviting them, whoever of which is still able to compete, to participate in this event." declared the announcer guy. Unfortunately, at hearing this announcement Vegeta rounded on Yamcha again. "You idiot! Now look at what you've done!" raged Vegeta. Yamcha put up his hands in a placating motion to try to defend himself from Vegeta's verbal attack. But with Vegeta still injured, and with Brody still wounded and detained in the infirmary, that left only two left to fight in the upcoming finals.

"Goku... and Gohan..." simply muttered Piccolo, as he realized the significance for this one. "Wow, those two in the finals..." amazed Tien as he and everyone else saw the two of them with amazement for the upcoming father and son battle. At that point one of the monks who worked at the tournament came in at the doorway. "Excuse me? But is there any of you who are ready to compete?" asked the monk. "Yes, both Goku and Gohan have recovered enough and are ready to compete. But both Vegeta and Brody are still too injured to compete. They'll have to forfeit." stated Piccolo on of their behalf. "Is this true?" asked the monk, rounding on Vegeta. Although put on the spot, as much as he hated to admit it, Piccolo was right. "Rrrrrrrrhhh... That's right... I'm not physically able to compete. Therefor I forfeit." confirmed Vegeta, as much as it turned him inside to say that, it was the truth. 'Dammit! If it wasn't for running out of those damned senzu beans I would be injury free right now and I would be participating for this grand opportunity! But now as I am I would be no match for Kakarot and his brat. This is maddening!' angrily thought Vegeta. "Okay, if that's the case, I'll relay the message." declared the monk and he went to relay the message to the announcer.

At that point the monk came out into the arena and whispered something in the announcer's ear. "Ladies and gentlemen I have exciting news. I have just been informed that while unfortunately competitors Vegeta and Brody will not be able to make it to competition due to injuries. But however it seems that both Goku and Gohan have somehow made enough of a recovery so that they say they are going to compete in the final round!" came the announcement as the announcer guy addressed the crowd with a massive smile on his face. At that there was a massive cheer from the crowd. It appeared that they were going to have a true final afterall.

"Well Gohan? Are you ready?" said Goku, looking down with pride at his young son. At that point Gohan's face scrunched in a questioning look. But then he looked down at his still wrecked clothes, or lack thereof, being without a shirt and in just his wrecked pants and then his head shot up in a look of horror. "Oh! That's right, I almost completely forgot!" exclaimed Gohan as he seemed to remember something he completely forgot and then ran out to get whatever it was he remembered. The others all looked on in confusion as they wondered what it was as they waited for him to return.

When he finally came back out, rushing in into the waiting room, it became pretty clear what it was that he had gotten to get, as he was wearing a completely different outfit. And a very distinctive and familiar outfit at that as he was wearing almost an exact duplicate of the red and blue outfit that his father wore that very instant. "Wow Gohan! You look almost exactly like your father wearing that." commented Yamcha, meaning it in a true compliment as he and all the other Z-Fighters looked on with looks of satisfaction. "Yeah, I got it made especially for this match in the finals. I had it stored in with my other outfits before I came here and I had to get it. I felt it would be appropriate for either the finals OR if I would have to fight my dad. Whichever came first if either case happened. But with them now being both I felt that I just HAD to wear it for the occasion." said Gohan. At that point his father came up to him and looked down with even more pride than he had before, if even that was possible. "You look great in that uniform Gohan. I for one am honored to see you wearing it." said Goku, his pride and love as a father shining through.

It was at that point that a hand came to rest on Gohan's shoulder. Gohan looked up and behind him to find the hand being attached to his older counterpart from the future world who was looking down on him with a smile. He'd been watching around this whole time. "Hey little bro." simply addressed Future Gohan. "Hey big bro." returned Gohan, with a side smirk as he turned to face his older counterpart. "Well, I've been watching you, fight in all throughout this tournament and I think that if you're serious about this and that you're going to take on our father. I think that I can give you something." said the Future Gohan. "Really? What is it?" asked Gohan in wonderment. At that point the older Gohan placed his hand on top the younger Gohan's head. "Using the power of our father's mind reading technique, I'm going to transfer my memories onto you." stated the Future Gohan with a strange cheerfulness that was at the same time, serious. "Really!? But what for? What if I can't handle it!? What if..." panicked Gohan but he was cut off. "...You could use my experience. To take on our father you' can definitely use it. And besides, I've been watching you fight all throughout this tournament and I know that you can handle this. You've _earned_ that much." said Future Gohan, reassuring his younger counterpart. At that point, Gohan accepted it and he gave a nod before closing his eyes and letting the procedure take place.

But when Future Gohan initiated the procedure, both their minds were floored by memories flooding into their minds. You see due to the fact that they were both the same person, the technique got the strange side effect of having the technique work on BOTH psyche's at the same time. So not only was the Gohan of this timeline getting the memories and experiences of his self from the future world, but also the Gohan from the future world was getting the memories from his own self from the current world and all the trials and tribulations with them. But this procedure which seemed to go on forever only lasted a few seconds in the real world. Both Gohans separated and panted from the harrowing ordeal as the others all moved to surround the two and try to figure out what happened. But both Gohans just stuck out their hands and that told them to stop and that they'd be alright. They both took their time to catch their breath from having their minds blown like that. "Woah, that was... quite the experience." summed up the younger Gohan. "Yeah, who knew it would be like that. I didn't think that the technique would backlash on BOTH of us like that." returned Future Gohan as the information started to download and digest itself and settle on both of their skulls. But for the rest of their friends after hearing this all had their eyes bugging out. But for both Gohan and his older counterpart it was a new experience. The memories they received didn't feel like they were different, but more like an adding to what was already there. It was more like the new memories only started from where their timelines diverged and they were added on top of what they knew was already there. And because of it they were looking at each other in a new light. It was like they got a new appreciation for their counterpart and the trials and tribulations they went through as if they were their own. Finally they both got back up and looked at each other for an extended period of time with satisfied looks on each other. They knew what the other was thinking and how he appreciated them and so nothing more was needed to be said. They both just smiled and then parted ways, no words needed.

At that point, young Gohan made his way to the doorway to stand up next to his father and wait for the signal to head out but he was cut off by Videl. "You know what? I've gotta say you look very, _very_ cool in that outfit." Videl admitted as she took and held his hands in hers. "Aww, shucks Videl, you really think so?" bashfully said Gohan, blushing at the token affection by his newly minted official girlfriend. "Yup, and now that you've got you future self's memories and experience I expect you to go out there and kick butt. I want you to do your best out there and do great. But most of all, I want you to come back to me in one piece." said Videl. "You can count on it." Gohan simply replied with a confident smile. The Z-Fighters who were watching this had to admit, two little lovebirds were cute together. At that point Gohan broke off hand contact and went back to stand side by side with his father in the light of the doorway and waited to head out. "You finally ready? Are you up for this?" asked Goku, looking down at his son. "Absolutely." was the response. "Good." came back the simple reply of Goku. Then, from the outside came the voice of the announcer. "Alright folks, the repairs on the ring are complete and the 20 minutes of break time are up. So why don't we bring out our contestants?" proclaimed the announcer and a massive roar could be heard. "Let's do it." simply stated Goku before they then both just walked out into the light.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** I hope you liked how I dealt with the interest deadlock of having all the semi-finals end in draws. I liked the idea of letting the rivals get away with being considered just as strong as the heroes by having them tie with them and still having the two heroes move on. I hope you found it funny enough with the dropped senzu bean. I would've preferred if Krillin was the one to do it since he has such comedic qualities like that. But unfortunately I sent him away earlier with no real way of return so I had to settle with Yamcha. I hope you found it as funny nonetheless.**

**The sorta mindmeld backfiring moment between Gohan and his future self was initially supposed to happen earlier, like before their own fight in fact. But I kept having to back it up and back it up until the final moment of necessity which was just before the fight with Goku, where Gohan would actually **_**need**_** that extra experience, was the only moment where I could realistically use the scene. And so that makes both Gohan's powered up with each other's experiences. I couldn't use it for their own fight as that would just be plain unfair for both of them since they would've known every move and trick in the others arsenal. That way I needed to keep them separate and it made for a better fight for them to try to overcome their differences. But now that's not needed anymore and all the other baggage was done I could finally use the scene. I hope you enjoyed. And the little sweet moment between Gohan and Videl was just something I came up wth on the fly. Now next up, we move with the finals.**

**P.S. To KuramaFTW, I guess that it's a fair criticism. And the Dyton, thanks for sticking up for me! You pretty much hit it right on the nose. But there were a few differences as to the actual reasons why. First off I thought I addressed the situation with Chi-Chi's over-protectiveness earlier in the story. With a pair of scenes back in The Trouble on New Namek. I never really liked that over-protective streak in Chi-Chi, so I got rid of it. And as for Master Roshi's antics? I admit I might have used a bit of him somewhere more in the story, but I tended to rely more on Mr. Satan for the comedy aspects. And as far as Chi-Chi using the so-called "Frying Pan of Doom". That was almost exclusively an invention of fanfiction writers. If you look in the actual series itself, you won't find a _SINGLE_ moment, in the anime or the manga, where Chi-Chi uses a frying pan. Although she DID use a sword on Master Roshi at one point. And I will admit that it's a highly entertaining trope and very Chi-Chi-like to use one, very fitting to the character. But the _ONLY_ time Chi-Chi was ever seen using a frying pan, was in Yo' Son Goku and his Friends Return!. Which was _years_ later after the series and when the trope from fans was probably firmly established and known. And Toriyama himself is admitted to not recall much about his own story. He's forgotten more about Dragonball and Dragonball Z than we remember! So I don't rely on that as a canon. But in the actual series itself? No. And plus, like I said, didn't I already get rid of Chi-Chi's over-protectiveness in this story? That means that unfortunately, so too goes any form of the frying pan. So I hope this answers you.**


	31. Mister Satan is Exposed

**Chapter: 31**

_**:Mister Satan is Exposed**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

As the light they'd walked into faded, Goku and Gohan found themselves walking down the path to the ring with the crowd cheering wildly at them. "And here they come ladies and gentlemen! And would you look at that?! They're both coming out wearing the exact same uniform now. I guess they really are father and son. They look almost exactly alike." said the announcer guy as the two made their way down the path. An even more massive cheer was heard from the crowd as they apparently approved of the gesture. Goku just looked down at his son and cast a smile and Gohan looked up cast one of his own back. They then walked up the steps looking at each other while all the way being cheered and then they made their way to the center of the ring where they came to stand opposite each other.

But just as the announcer was about to utter his introductions, he was interrupted by a loud, deep, boisterous laugh. "Ah hahaha Haaa!" laughed the unmistakable laugh of Mr. Satan. The unmistakable afro'd World Champion then poped out out of the doorway and came in making a running entrance which he then leaped in and caped off with a flip in midair to land perfectly on his feet and brandishing twin "V" signs of victory. Needless to say the crowd ate it up and cheered for him. People were quite surprised to see him, including Goku and Gohan, and wondered why he was there in the first place? "M-Mister Satan!? It's the World Champion Mr. Satan! Please tell us champ, what on earth are you doing here?" asked the announcer, obviously just pandering to him for the crowds' sake, as was his job. "WAAA haaahaha HAAA! Oh, nothing much, I just wanted to let either of these fine challengers get a good look at just what they'll be facing when this is all done. Not to mention I just wanted to scope out the competition a little." answered the large, mustachioed, afro wearing champion, casting a glance at his dumbfounded "competition" while standing tall and cocky like ever the showman he was. Naturally the crowd ate it up. "Woah champ, you truly are great, letting these challengers get a glimpse of you in person, the man who defeated Cell and saved the world." said back the announcer, continuing to pander to his ego, which set off a new round of annoyingly arrogant laughter from "the champ".

But unlike the reasons for which "the champ" had given, the truth about why he'd come out was very different. You see after his little run in with Videl and Gohan at the end of the world juniors, he'd spent most of his time either cowering in his private room or dealing with his "business associates" about "financial matters" or dealing with reporters here and there. He'd been quite busy for the rest of the day. But then, when he'd finally returned he'd found that he was just in time for seeing the finals. Even though he knew that Gohan or otherwise known to him as "The Boy from the Cell Games" was participating and that his friends might be there as well, but he wasn't about to let the spotlight be on them the whole tournament and not have it on him, at least not without a fight. And so, as one last gamble as a showman and plus with the added security of not recognizing Goku right away due to his normal hair and also Gohan for wearing a different outfit. Figuring that his "competition" might have somehow been knocked out by some miracle during the rounds of the tournament. Mr. Satan leapt into action for one final shot at stealing the spotlight before it was too late and it was all over.

But back at the present time, a giant blimp suddenly appeared overhead of the stadium, overshadowing the audience and casting itself directly over the ring with giant screens plastered on the sides. "Woah, what the heck is this all about?" asked Bulma in the stands, as she was speaking out loud what the rest of the audience were asking themselves. "But before we get on with the finals underway, and with Mr. Satan here himself in person, we have an extra special surprise for all you loyal fans. You see, nearly one year ago the world was left hanging in suspense when the transmission to the Cell Games was cut off. But now we have completed an historic re-enactment of that day for you all to see!" announced the announcer guy, and immediately the crowd roared and Hercule became _very_ nervous indeed. "This... won't be good..." was all Yamcha had to say as he and the other Z-Fighters, from their point of view, expected the worst. "Great! Now we'll finally see how it happened for ourselves." said one excited fan in the stands. Naturally Hercule protested to the announcer, citing various excuses and overall trying to get it stopped, fearing that this would blow his cover, but with a little egging from the help of the audience, the announcer and the audience naturally managed to force him into going along with it as the showman he was.

But fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the way you looked at it, when the screen came on it was nothing like the "incriminating evidence" like the Z-Fighters and Hercule feared it to be. In fact it was probably the one of the most embarrassingly fake things they had ever seen. _(Basically it's exactly the same as the one from the series.)_ "You're kidding!?" exclaimed Yamcha from one of the gang at seeing the silly figures. "This... is... sickening!" said Piccolo. Vegeta for his part just snarled at the creation and nobody else had any higher opinions on it. "Oh man! This is embarrassing... And they've got my expression all wrong." Gohan managed to overhear Hercule mutter under his breath while seeing the film. 'Boy I'll say...' thought Gohan as he thought back funnily enough to what he actually saw of Hercules' expressions that day, and boy they were _very_ different from what was being portrayed if his memory served. Gohan couldn't help but chuckle at the memory but then had to stifle it so that nobody noticed.

When the film finally ended, many in the audience were baffled by the film, considering what they'd been seeing all day at the tournament and that they knew that those kinds of powers were real to them now. Although some of the Herule fanatics still cheered for him and the movie. "OKAY THAT IS IT!" exclaimed Bulma up in the stands after seeing the film. And Chi-Chi sitting right next to her looked at her in question as the crazed blue haired woman looked through her purse for something. "Bulma, what are you talking about?" asked Chi-Chi to her friend. "I've had just about enough of that sickening arrogant man and all of his fraudulence and all his stupidly ignorant fans!" yelled out Bulma as she continued searching through her purse. "So what are you doing?" asked Chi-Chi, still confused about what her friend was up to. A sickeningly evil grin appeared on Bulma's face. "Just before I left I created a tape with the entire footage of the actual Cell Games. I brought it along with me just in case for an eventuality like this. But at first it was just a little something I made for our friends and us to sit back at the fireplace with. But now I'm going to use it to expose that fraud for what he really is. I'm sick of that man! Ah! Found it!" spoke Bulma as she then pulled out a video tape out of her purse and then asked for an usher to take it for her. "But won't the guys be exposed too?" asked Chi-Chi. "I talked about this to them earlier remember? They don't care really anymore and besides, they've exposed themselves more then enough already today. They would put two-and-two together eventually anyway. They knew going in, and so we may as well go all the way now." said Bulma.

Meanwhile, Piccolo caught on to what Bulma was after. And so in insurance to Mr. Satan's complete humiliation Piccolo released the psychic hold he'd been holding on the video cameras in the surroundings all this time. "Videl? I'm afraid Bulma has decided to to expose your father for us. I've just released all the television cameras and I was just wondering, are you okay with this?" asked Piccolo to the small girl as he knew that this would be affecting her life as well. Videl seemed to contemplate it for a second, but only a second. "Absolutely, go for it. I believe that you guys should deserve the credit. I've thought that from the very start. It's about time my dad got exposed. I'm actually happy about it. I never liked the rich fancy life anyway so you don't have to worry about me. My family will adjust anyway. So long as I still get to hang around with Gohan and you guys and I'm fine with it. Besides I said at the start of this that I was ready to share myself with you guys and your secrets. That includes mine, and this." answered Videl. Piccolo smiled at the bold step the young girl was willing to take and so they went on with according to plan.

It didn't take too long for the tv crews and the TV directors to realize that their equipment were starting to come back to life. They didn't care how or why, they just knew that they worked and that's all they cared for. So quickly the word was passed to the announcer guy who received the message through his earpiece. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have just received great news. It seems that whatever technical difficulties that we were experiencing with our tv cameras has been fixed and that now we will be resuming our broadcast to the worldwide audience." declared the announcer guy. At that news the crowd answered with a rapturous applause. 'Uh oh! This is bad!' thought Hercule, as he was now sweating bullets. Immediately the announcer's face was turned on to TV's in appliance store display windows where people were passing by, on giant screens on top of buildings, and in homes all over the world.

"Hello to all you viewers just joining us here in TV land. If you're just tuning in, we here at the World Martial Arts Tournament are brought to you back on the air. Sorry if you've missed us, but technical difficulties prevented us from transmitting our program to YOU our worldwide audience. But now that our problems have fixed themselves we now come to you at the conclusion of our games. Since you're obviously just joining us here's what's been happening with us so far. Us here at the World Martial Arts Tournament have been having a grand old time having the most EPIC tournament in HISTORY. So far the evening has been filled with the most amazing action we've ever seen here at the World Martial Arts Tournament. Unfortunately we couldn't transmit this action to you, but that's life. But however you're just now joining us just as we're just ready to get on with the finals. An amazing duo of father and son have made it all the way to the finals, and Mr. Satan, who unfortunately failed to register for the tournament at the start of our evening, but who became our honorary guest, has come down to challenge the two finals whom either of which will challenge for his world title at a later date." spoke the announcer, addressing to the tv audience. At the end of his introduction to the worldwide audience the camera panned over to show a shot of Goku, Gohan and Mr. Satan standing together. The crowds in the audience cheered as no doubt the people who were now watching on TV were.

But then suddenly a tournament monk burst out of the doorway and came to whisper something in the announcer guy's ear. As Piccolo watched the scene he couldn't help but show a little smirk. "Hmm... Let the humiliation begin." muttered Piccolo, low enough for nobody but the closest to him, namely Videl, to hear him.

"Ladies and gentlemen I have wonderful news! Just moments ago a tape was forwarded by a member of our crowd here today. That member is non other than Bulma Briefs herself and she says that she's provided a tape of the ENTIRE Cell Games recorded by Capsule Corp. satellites. And she has provided it to us for your viewing pleasure." announced the announcer. At that point the announcer pointed to the stands and Bulma's place in the stands was highlighted on the big screen. Bulma just nervously smiled and waved embarrassingly to the crowd. Naturally the audience cheered massively at that. "Great! Now we get to see what really _really_ happened for real at the Cell Games now." said one excited fan in the stands. But at that moment, if Hercule Satan had been sweating bullets before, he was sweating artillery shells now.

"Now ladies and gentlemen you are about to see, for the first time anywhere, the live, unadulterated, uncut footage of what really occured at the Cell Games nearly one year ago. And you're watching it right here, right now at the World Martial Arts Tournament for the first time ever." ecstatically announced the announcer guy as he turned to the big screen as it came on, while Hercule was biting his fingernails and chewing on his soul at this point.

As the screen came on, the Capsule Corp. logo came on first, and then the screen faded and when it returned, there was Cell. Not a man in an obvious suit, not a CGI creation of any sort, but the true green terror himself, standing in the middle of his ring. This was obviously the real deal that people were seeing, not the fake low budget movie that the audience in the arena had just seen and they were glad as hell for it. But they were now seeing things from a new perspective. They saw Mr. Satan and his cronies arrive and they saw the reporter and his cameraman from an outside angle. Showing that this was obviously not recorded by them. And then the Z-Fighters arrived and the people in the audience now realized that they actually knew their names as they'd saw them in the tournament. But then that wasn't the only thing that they were seeing a new perspective from. Because they were now hearing the dialogue from the Z-Fighters which they didn't hear previously. And also the looks that Mr. Satan was constantly giving was constantly betraying what he was saying and that it was obvious that he didn't know what was going on like he pretended to. 'Wow, Capsule Corp. satellites can sure do a lot of crazy things.' thought a lot of people in the audiences.

"Bulma, how did you come to record this? This is obviously not satellite work." asked Chi-Chi of her friend. "Well, I guess you can say that I got some help from Mr. Popo and Dende. You see I managed to "persuade" them to let me take me to their Room Of Spirit And Time and I took my camera with me and re-recorded it from inside there." explained Bulma. "Wow... Okay, I guess that explains it." lamely said Chi-Chi as she went back to watching the movie.

So now the people were seeing things from a totally different perspective as they then watched Goku's battle with Cell, his surrender, his replacement by his son Gohan, Gohan's failing battle with Cell, Android 16's sacrifice, the Cell Jrs, and most importantly of all, Android 16's plea and Gohan's awakening to the next level while saving Videl. The movie then continued on through what was missed be the recording on the original day. Gohan's battle and beating of Cell, Goku's sacrifice, Cell's return and finally Gohan's heroic defeat of Cell. The screen then showed the Z-Fighters' leaving and they saw the camera crews and Mr. Satan's lie at the end.

Needless to say that once the movie had ended the crowds saw that he had been _lying_ to them the whole time. It was clear as day after seeing his "antics" throughout that day of what a goof he had actually been and was and that he really _wasn't_ the strongest in the world like he'd claimed and that the "fake" powers he had explained away was just him covering his own ass. At the point of the movie ending the crowd in the audience acted out on their impulses and booing and jeering at Mr. Satan in the ring. Calling him a fake and all sorts of other names and insults and threw their garbage and tomatoes and any other projectiles they could throw at him at him. At that point Mr. Satan ran out of the ring in shame after being pelted by his "loyal" fans. Even the most fanatical of whom in the audience now saw him as the liar he truly was. Now the audience turned to watch a _real_ battle between who they now saw as the two true heroes of the Cell Games. "Well, now that _that's_ out of the way, what say we move on to the FINALS?" posed the announcer guy to the audience. The crowds roared in response, showing the adulation that their heroes had earned. Finally the final match between father and son, Goku and Gohan was about to begin.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** And so now Mr. Satan is finally exposed. I told you way back when that I had **_**plans**_** for him and this is why I had him stick around. Mr. Satan is finally exposed on worldwide TV and now our heroes are finally going to start getting the recognition they deserve. This was sweet and satisfying to write.**


	32. The Finals, Gohan vs Goku

**Chapter: 32**

_**:The Finals**_

_**:Gohan vs Goku**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

"In case for those of you just joining us on television and for those of you in the audience who hasn't been paying attention. Let me remind you by telling you about our finalists... Goku is quite the accomplished champion in this ring. At age 12 he entered into the ring and became the youngest ever finalist in the tournament's history. A three time finalist in this tournament. He went on to come narrowly close to the championship on two separate occasions at his first back-to-back attempts at the tournaments and then went on to succeed on his third attempt and became the youngest champion on record at 19 years of age. He was the last man to win the World Martial Arts Tournament nearly a dozen years ago and he is the current reigning titleholder and champion. This marks his fourth straight appearance at a finals, which is already a new record at these championships and cementing him in the history books. Quite a powerful legacy for the man once considered to be the strongest man in the world. And probably judging by his performance here today he still is. But will the returning champion rise to the occasion and repeat to become a two time champion? Only time will tell..." said the announcer guy, speaking of Goku.

"But what does it mean when his opponent here today is non other than his own son!? That's right, Gohan here is the son of the man here before you, they are father and son and what can't be said about this rising prodigy. Already by his mere presence in the ring he's broken records. Being the youngest participant ever in the main tournament, winning the the first ever World Junior Championship earlier today, youngest ever finalist, and at a mere eleven years old, he's already beaten the record set by his own father at twelve years old when he first competed. Woah... a lot of connections between these two. If he wins here today, winning the title at a mere eleven years old and on his first attempt, then he will have broken nearly every record for age that his father ever set! It seems that any way you slice it this young prodigy seems destined to clinch the gold one day. But the question is, is it today? But not only does family ties hold true for championship gold, but also they share the ties of being great world saving heroes. That's right, our records show that nearly fifteen years ago, as a boy himself, Goku defeated the evil Demon King Piccolo and saved the world from his evil reign. A now as you all know by now, he was virtually mirrored by his son when Gohan defeated Cell and saved the world from destruction. The symmetry between these two is almost unending... It's a battle of a long time Veteran Warrior vs a young Rising Prodigy, of Champions vs Champion, Hero vs Hero, Father vs Son, Predecessor vs Successor, and finally of Young vs Old... This contest has all the elements to create an instant classic, an epic of unprecedented magnatude. This just might even have the makings of the GREATEST OF ALL TIME! Now, are you ready to GET IT ON!?" finished the announcer, finishing his introductions. The crowd cheered MASSIVELY at this as they now awaited for the epic clash that was guaranteed to come.

Piccolo couldn't help but escape a small but odd smile as he watched. "It's incredible, that we finally get to see their match." said Piccolo. "Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Future Trunks. "For the longest time it seemed that the universe was at work to keep these two apart. Weither from different timelines, or with Goku's death, it always seemed that the universe was meant that these two were never going to be together for this match. But now, by some twist or quirk of fate, destiny has brought us to witness this match." summed up Piccolo in response. "What do you mean exactly?" again asked Future Trunks, confused as to Piccolo's true meaning. "I mean that ever since I first witnessed Gohan's hidden powers as a child against Raditz I always suspected that Gohan would be destined to surpass and succeed Goku. I suspect that Goku also found out to suspect this as well on that first day. But it with that potential, it always seemed that events played out that prevented it. Weither by Gohan not achieving his potential, or with Goku's sacrifice. In whatever universe we had come about these two were always being separate with their paths. But now, as if by some merciful turn of the fates, like by some stroke of a writer's pen, these two have finally been brought together to have this match. And at this juncture, with their skills and strengths at this level, we have been brought to this match. It's almost as if they themselves have willed it against fate to have this match this match here today. Incredible..." said Piccolo, an air of reverence attached to him.

"What exactly are you saying?" continued to asked Future Trunks, confused as ever. "This match is more than just a simple match between these two. It's a battle between destinies to see who is really worthy of succession. Is Gohan as the son truly worthy to succeed Goku as the greatest hero of our time? Or is Goku as the father always meant to be stronger? With their skills and strengths equal at this juncture in their lives, we are about to get a true match. Ans unbiased answer to the question. Who is truly stronger? THAT is what this match is truly about. It's a decisive match. It's actually quite incredible when you think about it." explained Piccolo. "Woah... I didn't think there was that much at stake." said Future Trunks, looking down with an amazed look on his face. Now truly feeling the weight of the special-ness of this match. "Yeah, I never thought that it would happen. But yet here we stand, about to pay witness to this decisive match organised against fate." said Piccolo. And with that Trunks turned back to look at the match with renewed seriousness and faith at what was truly going to be an epic decisive match for the ages.

Meanwhile, back in the stands. "Chi-Chi? Aren't you going to feel that it's at least a little upsetting that your husband and son are about to fight each other in the finals? I mean who are you going to cheer for?" asked Bulma of her friend. "It's no problem, I'm totally fine with it. Boys will be boys and they'll be totally fine with it. It's just a competition for them aferall. Besides they've spared with each other at the house so it doesn't bother me at this point. Besides, I'm just totally glad that their both in the finals and that means that either way we'll be getting all of the prize money!" said Chi-Chi, as she then went on to do a cheer from the stands. "Typical Chi-Chi..." said Bulma to herself with a shake of her head and a smile. Bulma then went to go back to filming the match with her own specially made video camera to record the match for personal viewing like she'd been doing for all tournament long. At that point both little Trunks and baby Goten being held in their mothers' laps woke up and started giggling in happy baby giggles as they began watching the match.

Back in the ring itself, Goku and Gohan stood around and looked around, and they were ready to get this match underway. "Now let us remind you of the rules. Since this is the finals and it is for the title, and as so as to avoid the *cough* outcome of the previous semi-final matches, we will be waving the thirty minute time limit. This contest will have no time limits. Do you understand the rules?... Good... Aaaaannnnddd You may BEGIN!" declared the announcer guy as he then quickly got out of dodge. "What do you say we forget the warm up? Cut through to the chase and give these people a real show? We might as well at this point" suggested Goku to his son. "Okay, that's just fine with me." responded Gohan. They then both quickly just transformed to Super Saiyan 2. No wind, no long power ups. Just a quick flash and there they stood, with spiky golden blond hair and ready for action.

Then, in the blink of an eye, they both leapt at each other and started fighting in a tight, up close, fast hand-to-hand battle only foot or two off the ground. Gohan using his smaller size in order to more tightly defend against Goku's larger size while Goku using his larger size to try to overwhelm Gohan. But either fighter was just as easily skilled at countering the other and the fighting was evenly matched as both combatants either blocked or dodged the other's attacks, with Gohan taking a more "center" position and with Goku trying to get his greater size to overlap him.

But then they both caught each other as they both connected with a punch. Gohan connecting with a short straight to his father's left cheek, using his smaller size to quickly leap in and deliver a jab with his short arm, while Goku countered with a hooking left from below to the side of Gohan's face. Such was the power that each fighter packed into their punches that a giant air ripple was felt coming from the contact and as they both stood fixed into their locked position for about a second, and then the force from their power knocked them both back and they went flying in opposite directions.

Both fighters then recovered and used one arm to brace themselves on the tiled floor and then shot off and streaked back at each other. A pair of yellow streaks then collided in the middle of the ring and they were finding themselves fighting fast and furious once again. They were battling it out while hanging a few feet over the middle of the ring yet again. But this time they were battling even faster and harder than before. Their arms and legs were so fast they were blurry and the power of the blows that were connecting were so powerful that they showed air ripples from in between the combatants every now and then and the heavy sounds from their connections resonated with the crowd.

But then they suddenly just flickered out of existence in the middle of their fighting and then reappeared several feet above where they were and the the right, still involved in their battling. They did it again, and they reappeared several feet more overhead over the spot where they had been in the first place at the middle of the ring. But then, they finally just flickered out and disappeared all together, and then a heavy sound and an air ripple appeared just above where they'd been. Powerful air ripples soon filled the air. It was obvious that the two warriors had moved on to fighting faster than light and could no longer be seen by eyes.

After a few minutes of the invisible aerial fireworks display, the two combatants finally flickered back into existence shooting towards one another along the surface of the ring floor, their lagging long trails of blurriness. They collided again and engaged in yet another fast and furious battle. But they cut it short as a large burst of a ripple and heavy sound was heard as the two combatants were shot away from each other, both of them jut specks of blurs. The two blurs then stopped, then shot back at each other again and then they collided again did the same exact thing all over again, wash, rinse and repeat. They did this time and again for at least three times. The two were obviously so well matched that they were continuously knocking into each other and cancelling each other out and coming out even.

But the two then finally switched it out and in the middle of yet another one of their little battles, they both just suddenly shot up straight. And the pair of shooting streaks continued rising up into the sky until they flickered out at a high altitude and they returned to lighting up the sky in another air ripple war. It was as always an amazing sight to see these ripples burst in the air, one after another. But every now and then they would appear themselves between bursts. One chasing after the other one with a punch or kick with the other one either taking it or dodging it. Sometimes they would look solid, sometimes they would look transparent, like ghostly after-images. One time they just winked in and reappeared dangerously close to the audience members. So close that if they weren't so terrified by having the battle come up right in their face, that several audience members could've grabbed out and touched them. But then, as soon as they were there they winked out and returned to battling it out at a safer distance. The fighting was _intense_. They were fighting like virtually a mirror of the other.

They continued battling this way for a while longer until finally one of them got the upper hand. Gohan flickered back into existence and then soon Goku revealed himself behind Gohan, having gotten the drop on his son. Goku kicked him from over the top and sent him flying down diagonally to the surface of the ring. Goku then flickered out and reappeared just as Gohan was about to reach the surface and tried to ax-handle his son into the ring. But Gohan was just as quick to dodge by flickering out and vanishing of the way. Gohan then reappeared to try to deliver a full body punch from behind but Goku on his turn winked out. They dodged each other like this and got behind each other in a war of vanishes, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight times, until finally Gohan dodged a final one. Goku went for a smashing forearm strike from up above but hit nothing but tiled floor as Gohan winked out. Gohan reappeared away, standing several feet ahead in front of Goku.

Gohan was quick to take advantage and leapt up to get at his dad, while Goku was quick and countered by leaping in counter on reflex as well. But Goku went in leaning in forward with his head, going for a headbutt. But Gohan pulled back in mid-leap and braced his feet to the ground and prepared himself for the headbutt and to stand his ground. Gohan took the headbutt on the forehead and the force cracked the floor at Gohan's feet and his feet embedded themselves in the tiled floor. Gohan snarled as they made contact. But Gohan withstood the assault as their heads were both so strong that neither even felt it. After all their heads were naturally harder than steel already, and with both their upgrades to Super Saiyan 2? Well just forget about it! Goku's head recoiled from the contact of smashing against Gohan's strong defense, but he wasn't finished yet.

Goku countered by firing off several one-two punch combinations and Gohan had no choice but to defend. Gohan kept up his defense but he was hard pressed. But Gohan dropped down and ducked under a punch from Goku to go for tripping his feet. But Goku managed to see it coming and leaned forward to bridge himself over Gohan and drop his hands to the ground and flip himself back up. He then went to return the favor but this time it was Gohan to flip himself out of the way.

But just as Gohan righted himself, Goku went for an overhead chop but Gohan blocked with his forearm over his head in a very familiar move. It was a very familiar defense that his father had used. It was almost a part of his style. But Gohan smirked while he held the move aloft overhead, gloating a bit at pulling off this move in front of his father himself. But then, his triumph was short lived. As Gohan had committed himself to his defense above, Goku went from below and used his unattended foot tripped him up. But Gohan recovered himself by making a handstand with one hand and flipped upside down. He went to take advantage while Goku was off balance from his trip up and used one of his legs which was now right-side up to kick Goku in the side of the head. But then Goku countered with using his still free right hand to delivering a counterpunch to Gohan's head while he was still upside down. It was an awkward position to look at with one of them physically upside down while hitting and getting hit.

But then as they recoiled from this double KO, Goku grabbed Gohan's foot that he'd just used to kick him and that was still right near his face. Goku then used it to spin around Gohan. But Gohan countered on his own as on one turn he twisted up and used his free leg to kick Goku in the side of the neck, this time from the other side. But Goku shrugged it off and went to counter with a straight punch designed to go through the still hanging horizontal Gohan. But Gohan flickered out of existence just as the punch went through him and Goku's fist embedded into the floor. But then, as Gohan flickered out and winked back in and went for his counter, he found Goku prepared with a kick of his own and they both connected with each other with a pair of kicks to the head. They then recoiled and pulled back with Gohan flipping several times away before landing on his feet and in a ready stance while Goku flipped back once and landed also in a ready stance. The two were at a standoff.

"Incredible..." muttered Piccolo as he'd watched this display. "What was that?" asked Future Trunks who was right next to Piccolo. "Those two, their virtually like mirrors of each other. Gohan's virtually a mirror of Goku in spirit and in fighting style. I guess it's no surprise, since he did inherit his father's genes. But it's more then that. It's more like they're each other from different generations. I guess it's like Gohan's really supposed to be his successor and to be his generation's version of his father. It's like he's inheriting his spirit." relayed Piccolo.

Meantime, back at the fight, Goku was going through almost the exact same feeling. As Goku was looking at his son, locked in in a stance that _he'd taught him_, a mirror of his own style, Goku couldn't help but see the ghostly image of _himself_ staring right back at him for a second. 'Woah! That was freaky?' thought Goku as the image flashed before him. He guessed that his son was truly inheriting his spirit, and he couldn't help but feel proud of him for it. He couldn't hep but let a tiny smirk escape the corner of his mouth. This was the sort of challenge he LIVED for.

The two then went at it at each other again. Move for move, block for block, they matched each other. It was style vs style as Gohan matched Goku's style and was matching his moves precisely. It was effectively a mirror match. "Incredible... Gohan is matching Goku's style move for move now." exclaimed Piccolo. "Yeah, I guess he learned that from observing him and training with him and this is the result." Yamcha responded in kind. "But remember that that is to Gohan's advantage. Remember that he's not only mastered Goku's style from having taught from him his training but my Demon style too. He can switch out." reminded Piccolo.

At that point Gohan true to his word switched out to a Demon style setting and started placing Goku on the backfoot. Catching Goku off guard and being more effective with his moves. But then, having been experienced and having fought Piccolo himself, Goku settled into a groove with it and started countering the Demon style. But then Goku switched his own style and started fighting like Tien. This caught Gohan by surprise as it seemed that he wasn't the _only_ _one_ to learn how to copy one's style over the years. "Hey! That's my style!" exclaimed Tien as he watched fromb the sidelines. Then, both Gohan and Goku switched to the Wolf-Fanged Fist style of Yamcha. Once again they were at a mirror match as they matched each other move for move and cancelled each other out.

But then, Gohan switched the game on them as he suddenly split into five different versions of himself to attack Goku. Using the Multiform technique he'd learned from Piccolo's style and that he'd employed earlier on in the tournament to attack his father. But Goku being the experienced warrior he was, and having seen this technique first-hand he easily countered the throng of attackers by dodging them. And then he countered with his own Tien inspired technique and hit the clones with the Solar-Flare technique and quickly disposed of the clones while they were blinded. But apparently Gohan had held back his person as he himself was found in the back at a safe distance, looking on smugly with his arms crossed.

"Wow! Would you look at that!? They're using our styles!" exclaimed Yamcha. "Yeah, it's incredible. It's like they're showing off all the techniques they've been learning over the years to assault one another. But remember that they're father and son. They know each other better than anyone. They trained together for almost a year all alone and even though they haven't trained together at all in the time since and have acquired new skills, they still know each other better than anyone else. And so if there's anyone that knows to beat either of them, it's each other." summed up Piccolo. "Yeah... wicked..." was all that could be said from a totally floored Yamcha.

At that point, while he realized that Gohan was obviously lying in wait for springing something on him, Goku decided that he wasn't going to let him the opportunity to get the initiative. Goku rushed at Gohan, but just as he got there Gohan unfurled a surprise and he charged up a white little energy ball, held it high above his head, and then dropped it down onto the floor and created a large cloud of smoke. When Goku fell into it, still trying to catch Gohan. He found to his stunned surprise that Gohan was gone. Gohan then reappeared behind him, and as Goku looked back, he had just enough time to catch Gohan coming in with a kick that knocked him under the chin and launched him straight up.

"Wait! But that's..." exclaimed Future Gohan as he saw what was clearly one of his moves being utilized by his younger counterpart. Meanwhile, Gohan had pursued Goku to the above and the two engaged in some fighting again. But this time it appeared that Gohan's fighting style had shifted a bit. He was fighting more more on the defensively but yet still somehow more self-aware of his moves. He was noticeably fighting more deliberate, more veteran-like. "Ah hah! I knew it. Gohan is utilizing his future counterpart's experience. I'd been noticing it it bits and pieces during the fight that he'd been utilizing it to help bolster his fighting against Goku. But he's using that knowledge to use some of the moves from his arsenal and now it seems he's actually incorporated it into his fighting style." commented Piccolo. Future Gohan and the others looked at him as if he'd grown a second head, but then they thought better of it and how he might be right and went back to watching the fight.

While the others had just talked, Gohan had broken himself off from the fighting. Goku went to pursue but Gohan then launched a seemingly clumsy attack by launching a soccer-ball sized ball of yellow energy at Goku which Goku easily dodge by swaying to the side. As Goku kept his eyes off Goku for just a second to track the energy ball, Gohan took the opportunity to body flicker out of sight and then transport himself into the path of his own attack. He then batted it back and deflected it right back at Goku, which hit him dead on in the back. It was an _homage_ of the attack that Future Gohan had used against _him_.

The attack sent Goku tumbling, but Gohan went foolishly rushing in, hoping to finish off the job up close. But what he found was that once he got close enough, Goku grabbed his arm in a counter move and spun him around several times before releasing him and sending him towards the ring below. Gohan crashed near the edge of the ring, but not over it, kicking up dust. He was still in the game, if only just by barely.

At that point Gohan got back up, and as the smoke cleared up in front of him, he found Goku ready to level an attack at him. Goku was taking a play out off Vegeta's playbook and started sending a rapidfire volley of energy attacks, shaped like yellow basketballs at Gohan. But Gohan had a counter as he on instinct he called up a green orb energy shield around himself. Once again calling upon the techniques of his future counterpart. The volleys of energy attacks crashed against the energy shield which kicked up a lot more of dust clouds from the shots that missed and hit the surrounding area.

Gohan's shield had held, as was observed as the dust clouds dissipated and revealed the green orb still intact. Gohan then dropped the shield just as Goku dropped back down to the ground of the ring a distance away. At that point Gohan leveled his hands above his head and shot his signature Masenko at Goku. But Goku batted it away and deflected it easily, and then it was his turn as he shot a quick Kamehameha at him. But Gohan in _his_ turn batted it away and easily deflected it away.

Then the two simultaniously switched to something new. They both went for launching Destructo Disks at each other. The signature move of their friend Krillin, both Goku's best and one of Gohan's closest running partners. When they found themselves launching the famed attack at each other, they were both surprised to say the least as neither of them expected the other to know the attack. The two thrown yellow disks went at each other in a collision course and when they finally crashed against each other, for a brief moment, the two disks were stuck spinning against each other. Just before their counter force repelled them from each other as if like a pair of magnets.

"Well... _that_ was unexpected. Where on Earth did you learn that?" asked Goku, but smirking as he was clearly revelling in the challenge. "Come on dad? You didn't exactly expect me to spend all that time partnering with Krillin and not learn few of his tricks now did you?" rhetorically answered Gohan. "The same could be said for me too. So right back at ya." responded Goku. But both were apparently smirking at the thrill. They had now officially thrown the kitchen sink at each other, but they had much more to come in store. This match was just about to get heat up.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** So Gohan and Goku are finally throwing down in a mega epic battle between father and son heroes. It's the mega finals that we all wished for, Both Goku and Gohan in their primes facing off. Time to see who the real hero of the series is. I've been saving up to show you the absolute best fight I could ever possibly come up with. I've been saving moves all this time just for this. Get ready for my personal masterpiece.**


	33. The Battle between Father and Son

**Chapter: 33**

_**:The Battle between Father and Son**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

The battle between both Goku and Gohan continued unabated. The sounds of concussions sounded over the stadium as ripple effects marked the skies over the stadium and inside the arena. The fighting between Goku and Gohan had resumed and this time it was more intense then ever. Beams of yellow light shot through the air every now and then as they were interspersed with the shockwave ripples that detonated in the air. It was a fantastic show for those down below as they saw this new combination of light beams and shockwaves. Even still, it was amazing that none of the energy beams shot during this battle ever hit the audience. It was a testament to the control and skill of the two combatants that they were deliberately avoiding the hits to the audience and that they were successful.

But even still, the battle between Goku and Gohan was evenly matched as neither one could out do the other. Even though every now and again the image of one of the two being hit by the other would pop up. But then the other one would come back and hit the other one back right next after. They were scoring hits but it was having none of the effect. The two would also reappear locked in a frenetic battle with each other, scoring hits on each other back-and-forth sometimes. But then they would disappear and the shockwaves would come back for a while. This battle went on and on for quite some time.

And then finally it was brought to and end when the two reappeared once again, once again locked in frenetic struggle between the two in the middle of the ring. But this time it ended with Gohan landing a full punch to the gut, nearly doppling Goku. But then Goku came back and used longer limbs and used his longer arm to punch Gohan back in the side of the head with a looping high hook. Gohan was sent back but then he used his swing of motion to flip back and land and slide back a few feet away. Goku soon recovered from his hard shot to the gut and shrugged it off. The two were now standing across from one another, back to a stalemate. They were evenly matched with each other.

Both Goku and Gohan continued to stare each other down. Standing like statues with the mounting tension as they contemplated their next move. 'Man... Gohan is unbelievably strong. I've gotta find a way to break this stalemate somehow. Otherwise this match could take forever.' thought Goku as he thought of his next move. But then, suddenly, Goku got a smirk on his face. A light had gone off on his head. "Well... it looks like I have no choice but to take things up to another notch." suddenly said Goku, smirk in place. "Wait, what are you talking about?" questioned a confused Gohan. Wondering about what he meant. "It's true that you know virtually all of my techniques. But _this_ is one that you can't reproduce. But now I have to admit, I've never attempted this in Super Saiyan 2 form before. So I'm not too sure about what'll happen." responded Goku as he went into a horse-stance and prepared to power up whatever it was that he was about to power up. "Wait, what are you doing?" questioned a fearful Gohan. Fearful for what he now suspected for what his father was about to do and how dangerous it might be.

"**SUPER KAIOKENNNNNNNNN**!" screamed Goku as he called out his technique and a bright red flame-like aura engulfed his body and turned his whole body, even his Super Saiyan 2 hair was covered and made to look red. The flaming technique sent his power-level skyrocketing and in the blink of an eye he'd disappeared and was found connecting a straight punch with his full body behind it to Gohan's jaw. Gohan was sent flying backwards along the surface of the ring. Taking advantage of his new power a speed, Goku reappeared from behind and kicked Gohan up into the air like a ball. Then, after flying a certain distance up in the air, Goku again flickered into existence from above and flipped, inverted his body upside down, and came down with a his right leg to kick Gohan in the small of the back that sent him speeding directly down for the middle of the ring. Goku then came streaking in, red stream streaking behind him after his careening son. _(A/N: Basically the inverted move that Krillin gave Goku in their match in __Dragonball__ in the anime followed by the quick knee-jerk full legged kick and the pursuit that Turles does during his ultimate in the Budokai Tenkaichi 3 game.)_

But fortunately Gohan managed to find his equilibrium in order to recover and he flipped and rolled a couple of times before landing at a kneeling position holding on one arm. Goku then came dropping in a couple of feet in front of Gohan and dropped his technique. But clearly from the look of superiority that he was giving, Goku could just as easily power back up at the drop of a hat and was just waiting for the next move to do just that. Gohan wiped the trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth. "Great... Now what?" muttered out Gohan in frustration. He'd hadn't thought that his father would actually risk using a technique like that at this level. Nor did he think that the massive energy influx from that dangerous technique wouldn't kill him, or at least seriously hurt him in the process. Not to mention he certainly didn't expect him to have _this_ much degree of command and control. But what could he do? 'Well, I guess I have no choice now but to use "that" technique. But I've never actually used it on Super Saiyan 2 before. Not to mention that it's still experimental. I was hoping not to have to resort to it at all during this fight. But I guess that right my dad has forced my hand.' thought Gohan as he got back up to his feet.

"Well Gohan? What are you going to do?" asked Goku almost mockingly. Then Gohan got in his power up stance. "This! **SUPER DAIOKENNNNNN TIMES 2**!" screamed out Gohan as a blue colored flame engulfed his body and turned him blue. Goku immediately had a look of shock and surprise at this and immediately shot out his own red colored Super Kaioken technique in response on reflex. What followed was the two fames flickered out of existence and a new round of shockwaves emerged in the skies. The two had taken their battle to the skies, their power levels shooting through the roof of anything they'd experienced previous as they were enhanced by their respective power up techniques. Red and blue streaks would occasionally appear and go to and fro and chase one another from shockwave to shockwave in a marvelous dance. The red and blue streaks would also occasionally appear to come from separate directions and go head-to-head with one another in the middle and create a larger shockwave ripple than the usual ones.

But few in the overall audience watching this action quite knew the full power of how much more faster this action really was. Although they could tell just by hearing it, that it was far more hard hitting and powerful than before. But they couldn't tell how much faster it truly was than anything before it. But to the Z-Fighters, they knew, as they couldn't follow the action at all, much more then before. They truly understood the full breath of the mighty powers unleashed by the skyrocketting power levels they sensed.

Finally there came a stop to this action as a mighty shockwave ripple appeared at the middle of the ring and both Gohan and Goku came flying backwards seemingly out of it and falling out of their respective modes. They had apparently cancelled each other out on their last exchange and knocked each other out of their power up techniques. But they both righted themselves and slid back a few feet as they landed and then stood back up. Eyeing each other as they were once again at a stalemate.

"Tell me Gohan, where did you get that technique? I haven't seen anything quite like it before. But it seems to work almost exactly like the Kaioken technique." asked Goku, curious but looking intensily at his son. "Well? You remember that little "incident" I had with Bulma's dimensional machine? Well I wasn't just in there for a short amount of time. I was trapped inside for a month and a half. I travelled around in many places from many timelines and dimensions I had quite a few adventures along the way. I also picked up a few new techniques while along the way. This one is one of them. It's called the Daioken and it's almost directly the same as the Kaioken. I picked it up on a planet Xeronex. While it's still fundamentally the same as the Kaioken, the major difference is that the normal multiplying factor of the Kaioken is still twice the one of this one. Which means that if I want to match you in the Kaioken, I have to shout out x2 that number to stay level with you." explained Gohan.

"Really? Well let's see how far you can take it?" posed Goku as he charged up his red Super Kaioken aura once again. Gohan flared his with a Daioken time 2. "You're on." replied Gohan as he knew what his father was getting at. The two shot at each other again after that. A powerful thundering ripple shockwave burst open at the middle of the ring and then the red and blue streaks flew straight upwards from there. They collided high up in the air once again and soon ripples formed in the sky once again. Cries and shouts of the two multiplying their techniques to try to get over the other was heard. Goku's shouts could be heard followed by Gohan's whose voice would cry out double the number of whatever level Goku went for. Their power levels reached unfathomable heights at this battle and the ripples just became faster and stronger as the intensity and power of the combat increased.

But soon the combat ceased as both Gohan and Goku could no longer go any further. They both just plotted down and landed on the ring on one knee and holding themselves up with one hand on the ground in a fist. They were sweating profusely from the exhaustion that their techniques brought with them. They had brought their bodies to the bring of their abilities until they could go no more and now they were paying the price for it. But fortunately they both shut themselves off as soon as they realized before any real damaged could be done to their bodies. but still they' both expended a large amount of energy, around the same amount both. Yet gain they were at a stalemate. "*pant*pant*Well Gohan? What do you say we hold off on using those techniques ever again huh? Or at least for the duration of this fight?" suggested a panting Goku. "Right, agreed. At this point it would be too much on the body. Not to mention that I don't think that either of us will get the advantage if we just keep on matching each other." concurred Gohan. And soon they both recovered enough to stand on their own. They may have used a large amount of their energy but they still had massive enough amounts of reserves to keep going.

"Well, I've gotta hand it to ya Gohan. You really surprised me with that little technique of yours you got there. Makes me wonder what other little surprises you've got in store for me." returned Goku, showing a competitive smirk. His curiosity showing through his competitiveness. "Yeah, I've still got a few techniques left that I haven't used yet. So I've still got a trick or two left up my sleeve." replied Gohan, him also smirking as he knew that things were getting interesting for both of them. 'Hmmm... Oh yeah, Vegeta once said that he'd encountered a technique much like the Kaioken before. I wonder if maybe _this_ is what he was talking about?' wondered Goku to himself.

"Okay Gohan, you may have caught me a little off guard with that technique. But don't get too caught up thinking that your the only one who's picked up some new techniques while off world. I've also picked up a few new techniques while I was out in the Otherworld." warned Goku. At that point Goku began floating off into the air. At a certain point in the air Goku leveled off and stopped. 'What's he doing? What is he going for this time?' asked Gohan to himself in his thoughts. Then at that point Goku started to spin around like a top, and he was getting faster and faster. "Let's see how you deal with one of Pikkon's techniques! Hope you enjoy it! **Hyper Tornado Attack**!" called out Goku shortly before his spinning grew so fast as it started to generate a tornado effect.

To say that Gohan was surprised by this event would be an understatement. A look of stunned disbelief was etched on his face as he saw the tornado formed. And unknown to him, just like his father, he got caught in the hole of funnel as it came down right on top of him and he failed to react in time to get out of the way. At that moment Gohan got caught by the technique and he was sent spinning around inside the funnel and began getting shredded by invisible attacks cutting at him like invisible scythes cutting at his clothes and skin. But then, again just like his father before him Gohan managed to figure out a way to counter it. He focused his power, found his center of gravity in the funnel, stop his out of control tumbling and spinning around in the funnel. And then he let out a mighty yell and used his power with a burst of energy to counter blow off the twister to stop his Goku's spinning and to stop his father's attack.

Goku came back down to the ground after his failed attack. Gohan also came down from the point at which he had been blown to the midway point of the funnel. But this time, as Gohan came back down, he didn't hold the usual competitive cheeriness he had shown the rest of the match. No, he was snarling, the frustation from taking that last attack setting in and the competitive juices starting to boil. "What kind of attack was that?" asked a snarling Gohan. "It was an attack I picked after being used on it by a guy named Pikkon. I met him while I was in Otherworld." said a smiling Goku. But that was the wrong answer from Goku as far as Gohan was concerned. Because unfortunately it dredged up some bad issues from Gohan. "Well that's just _great_, it looks like at least _someone_ got to have some fun while you abandoned your family!" sarcastically snapped Gohan. "Whaaat? What are talking about Gohan?" called back a hurt and stunned Goku.

"You heard me! You abandoned us! You know, that time when you decided to stay dead in the Otherworld? I always wondered how you could do such a thing. But now... sitting here, I think I finally understand you. It was always about he thrill of the fight for you. All across your life it was a choice between either your family and the fight. And when you finally had the chance to choose between a life of your family or the chance of fighting to your heart's content with all the great martial artists of the past, you chose to abandon your family." spat out accusingly Gohan. "It wasn't like that! I really thought that it would be better for you. I thought I would be protecting you more by staying away and stop attracting all these bad guys I seem to do." tried to explain Goku, but Gohan seemed to be having none of it. "Come on dad!? Do you or did you really believe that? What about Broly? Did HE stop attacking the Nameks or would have stopped until he reached Earth if you'd stay'd dead? What about Lord Slug? Did he stop his attack on Earth while we were gone just because you were dead? And what about Kenichi? Did he and his family stop going for us just because you were dead? Come on, the world doesn't revolve around you _that_ much and you know it. How much did you honestly believe in what you were saying?" Gohan angrily pointed out. At that point Goku was starting to get worked up at having to be accused of these things by his own son. "Uh Oh! Looks like we have some family troubles brewing! Looks like the emotions are coming out on this one. It seems that Gohan and Goku have some family issues to work out." commented the announcer in the middle of this.

"Well just in case you were right, that's why I left you behind. If there were still any threats to Earth even though I was gone? You would be there, strong enough to defeat them." countered Goku, though he had to bite back with a snarl of his own. "I'M ONLY STILL A KID! I still needed you to be there for me as a father! And if _that_ wasn't enough, if it wasn't for us going over to get you, Goten would've grown up without ever even knowing you!" screamed back Gohan.

"Wait, what's going on out there?" asked a frantic Yamcha, unable to exactly make out what was being said, along with most of the rest of the Z-Fighters. "It's incredible! It seems that Gohan has been harboring his issues with his father all these years and now he's taking them out on him. It seems that he's figured out all of the long standing issues that they've had between them." reasoned Piccolo, informing the rest as he was the only one with his Namekian hearing to be able to overhear the conversation.

At that point, Gohan lowered his face so that his eyes were shadowed. "Was I ever even a son to you?" suddenly asked Gohan, seemingly more to himself than at to Goku. "What!? Of course you were... I mean are!" said Goku, his face etched in innocent confusion. Confusion as to why Gohan would even think of that. "No! I mean _really_ thought of me as a son. All my life you seemed to mostly heedlessly and blissfully go about acting like the fool and doing nothing at the house as oppose to taking your responsibilities and trying to act like a real father. The only time you seemed to do that was while the days we were preparing for the Cell Games. And in that case I think that you were just taking that time to condition me up and remind me of what I was fighting for. If you had such confidence in me that whole time, then why was that necessary? You want to know why? I'll tell you why. Because ever since I headbutted Raditz in the chest, both you and Piccolo, I could see it in your eyes that you knew that one day I would eventually be taking your place. Ever since that day you began preparing me and I became just another warrior, just another weapon to you. And that day at the Cell Games, was the great day that you had designed and expected for that promise to come true." Gohan said, looking on with anger and resentment filling his eyes and venom dripping from his words. "Gohan you know that's not true!" desperately pleaded Goku, his eyes pleading for Gohan to believe him.

"Wether that's true or not, do you know what it's like living with under your kind of shadow. I feel that no matter how much stronger I get, no matter what things I've achieved in my lifetime, people will only ever look at me as your son, the continuance of _your_ legacy and not my own for me alone. The kinds of things that you've achieved and the sorts of adversities you've had to overcome I'll never be able to do. Yet still people look at me as if I'm supposed to just surpass that and when I can't... I'm just the son. And then whenever I DO, I'm just the son again and people were expecting it of me. It's because of _your_ blood that I'm tied to this burden of having to fight in this world. And it's because of _you_ that I was even _born_ into this legacy. Well it's high time you get what's coming to you." Gohan said, pouring out his heart's deepest feelings and frustrations.

"Holy catfish! Gohan's so upset he's even blaming Goku for being _born_. Man! His issues are _deep_." exclaimed Yamcha, expressing the incredulous feeling that he and the rest of the Z-Fighters were feeling at this event. "Indeed, Gohan's issues do run deep. I admit that even _I_ had no idea that Gohan's feelings ran that deep." admitted Piccolo. The crew went back to watch this extraordinary outpooring of emotion.

"RRRRRAAAAAaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhhhh!" screamed out Gohan as he reared his head back and his aura exploded around him. His power rising with every second as his anger fueled his powers. It was at that moment that Goku came to understand what Gohan was really doing. He was deliberately using his feelings and using them to fuel his anger and in turn to tap into his hidden powers and use it to re-energize his fighting. 'Well two can play at that game.' thought Goku as he too roared and exploded his energy. Using his feelings anger at being accused of all these things by his own son to fuel his own anger, and as well as even his hidden feelings of oncoming of being undeservedly replaced in his long standing job by his own son.

The two were sending there powers soaring high as they shot their power levels as Super Saiyan 2's to heights not before explored. Then, they both just dropped off rearing back, and went back to just standing at the center of their respective storms of power to just stare at each other. Gohan was giving a look of pure total and cold rage that had so befitted him as he'd fought against Cell. It was a look that showed his total determination and pure ice cold emotion that made him get the job done and that made even that evil monster think of wetting his pants. Goku on the other hand had his own stone cold look of pure seriousness and determination. They were both looks that were definitive of their characters when they were heightened to Super Saiyan 2's. It was looks that they gave to their enemies whenever they were feeling that they wouldn't be stopped until they had defeated their opponents. Those looks meant doom for many an enemy whenever they were given that look. But now the only difference was that they were giving them to each other while their golden yellow auras still shot and flared around themselves. The time for talk was over, now it was time for action. Then, at the drop of a hat, the two just shot in faster than a twitch and started fighting each other hard and fast. Their emotions running high as their anger fueled their fighting. The fighting was now getting more high powered and vicious than ever before. The true test of this fight had only just begun.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well, I hope you're enjoying this mega epic so far. I wanted to bring out the emotion in this match and show the issues underlying between Gohan and his father. I hope you like it.**


	34. The Most Incredible Duel Ever!

**Chapter: 34**

_**:The Battle of Two Heroes**_

_**:The Most incredible Duel Ever**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

The battle between Goku and Gohan was getting vicious. Back and forth they went as one would hit the other and then get hit back. Coming up with with weird angles for kicks and then getting hit with an even weirder angle shot. The fighting was brutal, fast and furious as they fought at a high pace of speed and ferocity. Very little quarter was given or asked for as they fought with their anger now. The battle would shift fast as they would switch from fighting up close in the ground and able to be seen by most observers, to going to supersonic and the battle would go mostly invisible except for the crack of the supersonic booms left by their blows.

But it was in the middle of one of these supersonic battles that both Gohan and Goku just suddenly appeared above the stadium. At that point Gohan cupped his hands at his forehead and fired a much larger Masenko than normal. Goku who was accross from Gohan, seeing the risky and dangerous move, swiftly countered with a quick but equally powerful Kamehameha. The two beams collided and then went back and forth just slightly as they went an inch or two for one side and then the other like as if they were in a struggle to balance out each other. But it wasn't a struggle for balance as the two warriors in control of the beams were struggling for dominance. It was clear that with their anger at each other as such and in the heat of the battle, their regard had worn away very much in regards to looking out for safety as they normally would have as the respectful loving father and son duo that they were. Otherwise they wouldn't have risked doing these dangerous techniques at each other like this.

The battle of the signature yellow and blue beams was evenly matched. But then it was Goku who went for the decisive blow as he pumped in a massive amount of energy. His Kamehameha nearly doubled in size and sent his side of the beam heading triumphantly to Gohan's side. It was just about over halfway there, when Gohan did something unexpected. As the beam headed over to him he let loose a small smile creeping at the edge of his mouth. He then released his right hand from powering the Masenko and used it to place two fingers to his forehead and then vanished using Instant Transmission. The Kamehameha went sailing through his former position and sailed harmlessly overhead of the stadium, on over to the horizon to explode in the sky somewhere above the atmosphere.

Goku floated down and landed to where Gohan had transported himself to in the middle of the ring. "So? I guess that means you know how to do Instant Transmission too now?" Goku questioned rhetorically, making an observation. "Yeah, the Yardrats themselves taught it to me. It was the first place I ended up at while during my whole little adventure with Bulma's dimension machine. It took me about a month to learn it and then I was off. Off to hop around from time and space and dimension until I finally arrived back home. Even though I knew the technique and learned the basic principles, it still took me a while to get it down on my own. But then I got it just in time for the tournament and so I wanted to surprise you with it in battle, but that plan got spoiled a little bit." said Gohan. "Oh yeah, that's right, I'd forgotten that I'd seen you use it in your fight with that Kenichi kid." responded Goku, feeling silly for such an oversight. "Yeah, and now, I'm sorry to say this dad, but this match is over." responded Gohan.

Meanwhile, back in the fighter's lounge, the Z-Fighters were confused by Gohan's last statement. "What's he talking about?" asked Yamcha out loud, addressing Piccolo. "He means that Goku used up too much of his energy in that last attack. It was the same mistake he made against Cell. He was counting on that last move to either take out or seriously damage Gohan. But he didn't count on Gohan using Instant Transmission to dodge the attack. An oversight that cost him dearly." explained Piccolo. And if they looked out they could see that Goku's breathing was slightly more labored and Gohan's wasn't. "But Goku didn't put all _that_ much of his energy into his attack. An amount like that should be a drop in the bucket for a Super Saiyan 2 like him. He's not that much out of wind, he could still win this fight." countered Yamcha. "Normally you would be right, but at a fight of this level even the tiniest gap of energy difference can be the difference between winning and losing between fighters like these." further explained Piccolo. The rest went back to watching with amazement at this fight.

"Heh, so you deliberately let me win that duel heh Gohan? You're a _very_ brilliant fighter Gohan, that was a truly genius move. You really got me with that." said Goku, giving reluctant appreciation. "Why thank you dad. But I'm sorry to say that we both know that I'm going to with this match now." said Gohan confidently, almost _too_ confidently. "Sorry Gohan, but there's more than a way to win. Besides, don't you remember that you're not the only one here who can do Instant Transmission too?" equally confidently returned Goku, shortly before he straight up teleported in front of him and then reappeared to connected a fist from the side to Gohan's right cheek.

Gohan righted himself and hovered in midair. "This changes things." muttered Gohan, shortly before he had to teleport himself using his Instant Transmission in order to avoid Goku kicking him from behind after coming in with another teleport attack. The two then traded teleporting behind one another a few more times before disappearing altogether and then sonic booms could be seen overhead as they teleported and exchanged their blows in space time. This battle was unlike any other, because this time the two warriors were had taken the fight to the realm of hyperspace. Using their mastery over their teleporting techniques to take it to an instinctual level of control where they were able to teleport and battle without even using their fingers to their foreheads to activate the technique. It was why they could battle the way they could. It was the ultimate feat of combat mastery and control.

The Z-Fighters and even Piccolo and Vegeta could only look on in helpless fascination and amazement as they couldn't even see the battle at all because _there was nothing to see_. The two warriors had taken the battle to the realm of hyperspace. It was indeed a very rare and amazing sight for even the Z-Fighters as to see two Super Saiyan 2's battling it out in space time overhead. Indeed it had taken this battle to very extreme heights. It was the kind of scope that was stratospheric in it's size. And that was something very, _very_ rare even by Z-Fighter standards. It was a monumental occasion even for the Z-Fighters.

"This is incredible! What a fight for those two to actually be battling at _hyperspeeds_. I mean the level of control we must be talking about must be off the charts" exclaimed Yamcha, hyped up at watching this fight take place. "Yes Yamcha indeed it is amazing. But remember that what it's amazing is that when Goku was on the backfoot, being as with his energy as it is he was on the wrong side of the equation of fighting Gohan. He would've eventually lost had he relied on fighting Gohan with his normal speed. But since Instant Transmission isn't such a strain on his energy supply, he used that to take the fight to Gohan and ease the strain on his energy supply. An ingenius move. And now the fight is put back onto an even playing field. And now even I don't know what's going to happen. This is indeed an amazing fight." commented Piccolo. The other Z-Fighters looked on at him with even more amazement as they had let that completely slip their minds.

Meanwhile the hyperspace battle was still raging on. The crack of the booms from their hyperspeed blows was stronger and deeper sounding than what was the regular sonic booms and they resonated with the crowd. The struggle between the two was evenly matched as the air was choked with the tell tale ripples of their blows. And the pressure pressed down upon the helpless crowd as the pace from this high intense battle seemed to be increasing even.

Meanwhile, baby Goten was clapping and giggling as he was watching his father and brother battle. He had never seen a battle before, in fact he didn't even know what battle was or what it meant. But even though still a baby, he somehow just knew that whatever he was watching, he was enjoying it. And Baby Trunks right alongside with him in their mothers' laps was watching and clapping with him. This was a hell of a first battle to witness, even though they might never even remember it.

Then suddenly as the trademark boom of an air ripple shockwave came close to above the center of the ring, the two then finally reappeared in the heat of the battle midst of a fast and furious battle. The two were fighting in a flurry with each other that was so fast that their arms and legs were in blurs to the normal people. But then, with no longer fighting in the hyperspace lanes of an Instant Transmission battle, Goku had to rely on his traditional speed. And with his energy still lower than Gohan's in this arena, it made for him being at the disadvantage. You see it made Goku just by a fraction of a second slower, just that _little_ _bit_ by a hair it made him that less powerful, and that was all that was needed. Eventually it led to Gohan finally catching Goku in this contest and then barraged Goku with a flurry of punches and kicks and then finished it off with a sharp straight punch to the right pectoral that sent his father shooting away.

Goku however managed to right himself and flipped so that his feet touched the edge of the ring and then made to leap. But then, while clutching at his right breast where the shot he had suffered had been hit, Goku placed his middle and index fingers to his forehead and disappeared. He then reappeared high above the stadium above his former location. Using Instant Transmission to relocate himself as opposed to streaking up in the sky as he traditionally would have done. He'd had the presence of mind to use Instant Transmission as opposed to streaking which would have drained his energy even further and at this point that was crucial to him.

Goku just looked on from high above in the sky, his breathing labored as he clutched his right pectoral while waiting for the pain to die down. He was definitely at a disadvantage now and he knew it. Gohan for his part had just a few trickles of sweat beading off forehead and side of his face, but he was still hardly short a breath as he just standing there. Standing there down there somewhere in the middle of the ring looking up and waiting for his father to make his next move. Whatever desperate move it might be. Because too knew that in this position and with his energy low, Goku had few if any remaining options left and he was just waiting to see what it was.

Then, to the surprise of everyone that knew him, Goku went for his traditional stance of the Kamehameha from up high in that position. From that position he would be firing down directly with not only the Earth but the stadium itself in his line of sight. It was a similar move to what he'd done in his battle with Cell which had double bluffed the evil android and it was clear from the amount of time that Goku was spending charging up this attack that it would be a massive attack. It was clear that Goku was going for broke and hoping to catch Gohan with this one shot.

But meanwhile on the ground, Gohan had a look of surprise for all but a second as he saw the move. But then his face just switched to a smirk. "So? You're going to try to hit me with the same move you used against Cell and try to hit me with an Instant Transmission Kamehameha from up there? Well sorry dad, but I'm all ready for ya." said Gohan as he looked up with a smirk. A strange blue glow silhouetteted itself around his body and for a moment electrical streaks crackled accross his torso as he prepared his body with a mystery technique in preparation for his father's incoming attack. Gohan kept up his confident grin while looking up as he waited for the expected move.

Then, with the nearly full moon to his back in the evening day sky, Goku did the unthinkable and surprised them yet again. "**KAMEHAMEHA!**" screamed out Goku as he shot his famous attack down unto the stadium below. The beam was massive as the "bulb" was almost the size of the stadium itself. It was almost as big as the full power Super Kamehameha that Cell had shot at Gohan in their match. Gohan had a look of shock and stunned surprise etched on his face as the light of the attack illumminated his face as he saw it slowly incoming down. He'd never imagined that Goku would actually fire the beam. But then, his features hardened and turned to stone as his mind shifted to thinking determinedly as he knew how to stop it. He just swiftly cupped his hands to the side and then at a quick movement he shot them at the incoming wave.

"**HAAAAAAAA!**" sharply screamed out Gohan as he shot back with a Kamehameha of his own. A massive ungulfing wind that blew at everyone in the audience as the two beams were shot at one another. It was like being in the middle of a hurricane and as everyone was bathed in an eerie blue light. The beam of Gohan grew quickly to equal the size of Goku's attack before the two beams even met. Then when the two massive beams met there was a drastic increase of wind speed as it blew at everyone. But then everyone in the audience was used to it at this point after how many times they'd been through it over the course of the day. But this duel was even more massive and powerful than anything they'd seen before. The two huge blue beams crashed against each other, but then Gohan's kept moving on. It kept pushing and pushing back Goku's almost as soon as the two met and then it suddenly expanded.

Gohan's technique expanded until it grew to almost twice the size of Goku's technique and all but engulfed it. The two attacks were now incoming at Goku. But then to everyone's surprise Goku just smirked and then placed his two fingers to his forehead and just disappeared and teleported away for the attacks to go through him.

Goku then reappeared right next to Gohan who still had his arms raised up in the stance of the Kamehameha. Gohan turned to look with a look of surprise etched on his face that was unmistakable at having been caught with his pants down as Goku came in with an incoming kick. But then Goku's just passed through Gohan as his body turned transparent. But it didn't have the traditional haze of an afterimage or the blur of a super speed or anything like that. This was more like a hologram or even a ghost. Then, just like a hologram, the image of Gohan just faded itself out in a haze. Goku got back up from his landing from his failed kick and turned to find that Gohan was standing nearby behind him with a scowl and his arms crossed.

"What on Earth was that technique you used back there? It wasn't like an afterimage and it definitely wasn't like using super speed. And I can tell taht you were definitely taken by surprise. I can tell from the look for sure. So you couldn't have reacted in time. So what was it?" questioned Goku, suspicious as to what Gohan had used. "It's a new technique. I call it the Instant Illusion technique." affirmed Gohan. "Instant Illusion huh?" asked Goku, his eyes widened for a second. "Yeah, basically it automatically translocates my body as soon as it comes into contact with any incoming attack from outside and phaseshifts it out of there while replacing my body with a hologram. It's useful because it can activate itself automatically with free from my consciousness. It can dodge attacks for me in situations that I know I can't have the reaction time to dodge consciously. That and fool opponents that think I'm there when I'm really over somewhere else." explained Gohan. "Sounds useful." returned Goku. "Yeah, it is. But it has the drawbacks of me having to activate it beforehand and then I have no control over it. And also I can't do it too many times otherwise it can be _very_ harmful to my body." admitted Gohan. "So that explains how you were able to dodge my attack just there." recognized Goku. "Yeah, I prepped my body when I thought you were going to hit me with an Instant Transmission Kamehameha. I knew that I couldn't possibly consciously react in time before you would be on top of me so I prepped this technique beforehand in preparation to be hit. But then you double backed on me. The technique couldn't activate itself while in the midst of our battle just there so it didn't go off until you kicked me just there. It can't activate unless it comes under pressure from a direct attack." explained Gohan.

"Okay, so that explains it. Still looks like a handy little trick. But would you mind telling me where you learned it?" asked Goku. "Sure, again it's another trick from planet Xeronex while on my way through dimensions. But could you answer me this? I never would've thought you would've actually shot that Kamehameha down at me at the stadium audience. I wouldn't have thought you would actually risk the safety of everyone like that. Not you." questioned Gohan. "Yeah, but then again I knew that I could count on you." said Goku. Gohan mouthed an "O".

"Oh? So that's it huh? You were planning for me on being a safety net and counter that attack. Thereby making me waist my energy even more than you and then avoid the attack with Instant Transmission and catching me off guard with an attack to boot. _Very_ clever." quickly surmised Gohan. "Yeah, but I can't take full credit. I learned it from you. That little trick you did earlier? I learned it off of that." said Goku, smirking at his own ingenuity. "So you turned my own plan back on me? Very good. And now thanks to an added bonus we're now equally drained of energy." commented Gohan. And it was true. They were both panting and sweating in equal amounts now. "That's right, we're both equally exhausted." said Goku. They were now both at a stalemate again.

"It's AMAZING! It's incredible this battle!" commented Piccolo. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It was off the scales with that last exchange. _All that_ with the energy struggle and the dodges and they still came out completely even. And what's more it was as much a psychological battle as it was a physical one back there. It was like a chess match between the two of them and they both came out even. But I've never seen that on such a grand scale. Those two guys are incredible!" agreed Yamcha. "Indeed, but that's not just only what makes them incredible. The fact that they trusted each other with using around their techniques as big as them while in the presence on an innocent audience. Even though they're fighting as hard as they can with little regard, they still trust each other to catch the other. I've never seen such complete and utter trust between two people in a match before." said Piccolo, looking on in awe.

"Well? So, if we're _both_ exhausted, what are we going to do now?" questioned Gohan. Indeed, what were they going to do now? Goku was attempting to answer that very question himself. They had indeed thrown every move in their arsenals at each other and they still hadn't gotten the job done. Goku's mind searched through all the nook and crannies for anything that might help him. But then, finally, after a great deal of desperate brain storming, Goku's ingenius mind finally managed to come up with something. It was a risky and desperate tactic that was a compromise to use one of his classic maneuvers in a new way. But then again it beat the alternative. 'Well, I've never really done it before like this. But I guess it's worth a try. Desperate times call for desperate measures they say." thought Goku to himself shortly before he would attempt his feat.

He put his arms up to the air in a very familiar pose and began to concentrate. But Gohan immediately recognized it as it appeared that Goku was going for his most devastating signature move, the Spirit Bomb. It was the one move in Goku's arsenal that didn't require energy on his own part to use. Gohan was quite taken aback by this as, not only was it the one move in Goku's arsenal that he didn't know how to reproduce, but the simple fact that Goku would be willing and that he could even use it on his own son. It was a really radical step to want to do that. But Gohan wasn't sure that he could counter this energy, but then again, there was really nothing he could do at this point but watch as he was too depleted of energy to be able to do anything, not of anything that would be any effective or not be intercepted.

Meantime, Goku continued to concentrate and gather the energy of the world. In his mind Goku prayed and asked for the energy in plants and animals in the surrounding area and even the Sun to help him gather energy. Goku knew that they wouldn't help him if it was only to help hurt against his son. But then again his plan was not quite that. The energy started to come in and the people in the audience started to see little white particle lights of energy streaming in from all over and they were congregating to Goku. There were hundreds of particle lights and even a few of the audience members that realised what was happening offered some of their energy and then felt a little weak from having been drained. Then finally, with the energy gathered Goku withdrew all of the energy particles into himself. Gohan wondered what his father was up to as the commulative energy he'd sensed was less than half of what he would need to take _him_ out, he'd calculated.

Goku seemed to glow white with his mystical natural energy. He then made a sharp exhale breath and opened his eyes while lowering his arms. And then, to Gohan's surprise instead of trying to concentrate the energy into a ball, Goku instead withdrew the energy into himself as the white aura glow disappeared and then Goku's Super Saiyan 2 aura burst back into full form around him. Gohan couldn't believe it as he'd felt his father's energy shot through the roof and was back to almost exactly where they'd started at the start of the match.

"Woah... Incredible..." muttered Piccolo as he saw this. "What? What is it?" asked Yamcha, not quite understanding what took place. "Goku actually used the natural energy he'd gathered from the Spirit Bomb to actually re-energize himself. Ingenius..." informed Piccolo, still looking on stunned. "Really? But how?" asked Yamcha. "He did it by instead of concentrating it into a ball firing it off as usual, he instead managed to internalize it and his energy back to the where he'd started at full power. He used the energy from the natural resources and somehow immoliate it into his own body and use it to replace excess energy he'd wasted earlier and suppliment his own energy supply." finally explained Piccolo. "Yeah... woah... incredible." simply muttered Yamcha as he went back to watching the match.

"Woah!? Dad!? You actually used the energy from the Spirit Bomb to re-energize yourself and your energy?" questioned Gohan, absolutely stunned at this latest developpment and the ingenius move Goku'd employed. "Yeah, but then again I didn't need all that much energy to do that. I only managed to gather the energy from the local area and from the Sun. And they wouln't let me use them on my own son. Although I am surprised myself that it worked. I've never really done that before." admitted Goku. Gohan growled in his clenched teeth as he needed to come up with something and _fast_.

Gohan looked through his options and then sighed. He had one trick left up his sleeve to turn the tables back around, but was really hoping to keep it a secret for as long as possible. But it looked like his father had forced his hand. "Well dad, I've had one last trick that I've been saving up until now. I was hoping on letting it go for a while longer. But I guess I have no choice. It's now or never!" said Gohan, in a warning to his father. "Okay? What is it?" asked Goku, his interest peaked.

At that point Gohan turned his back to Goku, pointing at a point at the base of the back of his neck. "You see this? Well right there at the back of my neck I placed a small nub that I sanctioned off as a piece of my energy. I sealed it off from the rest of my energy. It acts like a sort of storage container in my body for energy. It stores energy completely separate and free from all my other energy. A group of mystics again from the planet Xeronex showed me how." explained Gohan. "Okay?" said Goku, following along. Gohan then turned back around to face him. "Well, for every little bit of pain that a body experiences, that pain produces a little bit of energy. What I've learned is a way of how to tap into and harness that energy." explained Gohan. And then it dawned on Goku and his face was flushed with shock. "You don't mean!?" exclaimed Goku but Gohan then beat him to the punch. "Yep! That's right, ever since this tournament began, every hit, every kick or punch or any instant of pain or damage that I've received over the course of my matches in this tournament I've been absorbing it and accumulating it and been transferring that energy into the nub in my neck. Now all I need to do is release the seal and all that energy will come flooding back. Giving me a new energy supply and re-energizing my power." threatened Gohan, giving off a dark mischievous smirk as he said it.

At that point Gohan made good on his threat. He crossed his forearms in an "X" in front of his forehead and then released his seal. Releasing his arms back down as he powered up and his aura and power came flooding back along with his energy. The light seemed to come back in his eyes as he was revitalized. And then with both him and Goku revitalized with their energy levels back to where they were at the start of their match, they now settled down into stances for renewing the combat.

"Oh my gosh! Incredible! We've already just passed the one hour mark in this contest and both of our competitors seem to have somehow re-energize themselves! With both of our competitors revitalized and back to their original fighting powers what will happen from now on is anyone's guess!? Might we be in store for yet another hour of adrenaline pumping action? Who knows? But one thing's for sure, we are in for one wild ride! It looks like we're heading into overtime!" exclaimed the announcer guy as he was giddy with how lucky he was to witnessing this match. This was turning into the greatest match he'd ever seen.

Both Goku and Gohan, although looking still all bruised up and ruffed up with their clothes all damaged from all the brutalizing they'd been doing to each other throughout this match. But with their energy revitalized on the inside it was like they were both brand new, even though the didn't look it. But both were eager to continue, and with the looks on their faces mirrored in each other they waited in their stances. "Hey dad? What do you say we agree to stop using any of the energy attacks and the teleports anymore? I think you can agree that they're getting a little too dangerous now. We don't want to risk everyone's safety from now on do we? Let's settle this with just our fist and our normal speed. That fair?" suggested Gohan, appealing to both of their senses of safety for innocence and Goku's sense of fair play and sportsmanship. "Yeah, okay sounds good to me. That seems fair enough. Besides I think we used up all our fancy tricks already. No use in using them again." agreed Goku, his sense of fair play winning out. With the casual conversation gone, now it was time to get ready for action. They were ready to get it on with a renewed round of fighting.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Epic length, emotions, epic struggles, speeds and mind games? This is the most epic match I could ever possibly conceive of. The epic maneuver of the massive Kamehameha duel between father and son and the epic Instant Transmission dodges was in my head from the very beginning. This whole tournament was set up just so I could build up to this epic match. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**


	35. The Finals are Concluded

**Chapter: 35**

_**:The Finals Concludes**_

_**:Two Champions are Crowned**_

_Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way._

Both Gohan and Goku were now standing looking beat beat up and exhausted. The sun was starting to go down and the sky was bathed in a beautiful red color. "According to my watch this match has gone on for... Holy cow! Two hours!? Ladies and gentlemen we have just passed the two hour mark in this incredible match!" announced the announcer guy as he continued to keep track. And indeed the match between Gohan and Goku had continued for another full hour more after they'd re-energized their energy supply. For the last hour the match had been nothing but filled with exciting adrenaline pumping action which entertained the audience from start to finish. They'd fought almost purely hand-to-hand as they'd agreed to at the start, but they also occasionally slipped and they ended up using all of their techniques, some of them even twice. But neither of them had been able to get the decisive edge during that whole last hour as they'd went back-and-forth with both of them staying evenly matched.

But now the battle was reaching a conclusion. Both Goku and Gohan stood in the middle of the ring barely standing up. They were panting and sweating heavily as they were equally beat up and exhausted. But somehow they were both still maintaining their Super Saiyan 2 transformations even though their energies were exhausted to the point of the borderline of their forms. But somehow they still maintained them even still, determinedly holding on to them with just a sliver of energy in reserve. But both Goku and Gohan still stood up, looking at each other with mirrored looks of determination. They knew that they were coming close to the end, but they didn't care.

But for Gohan, as he stood there he realized something about himself. As he stared accross from his father, for the first time in his life he realised that he was actually _enjoying_ the fight! All his life he had hated fighting, he had always thought of it nothing but useless violence but had trained himself to do it out of a sense of duty and responsibility. He'd enjoyed training with his father and Piccolo, finding fun in just spending time with them and the friends they had. But as far as fighting went he always saw it as a necessary evil to do the right thing and always took it very seriously. He'd never been able to truly understand the love affair that his father and others had with it. Oh sure, he'd managed to feel a few thrills here and there, but that was only due to his Saiyan blood acting up in the heat of the battle once or twice. But he'd never _loved_ fighting.

But now, for the first time in his life he felt he understood what his father felt. For the first time in his life was actually _enjoying_ the fight. He was feeling the joy and the _thrill_ of competition. Although his father had always distained unnecessary violence and killings just the same as he, he'd always loved the pure competition. _That_ was what drove him. He realized that it wasn't the violence that thrilled him during a fight, it was the _challenge_, the competitive aspect that he loved. And that was what he now felt. And it was all thanks to his father's strength, through _his_ joy,_ his_ determination, _his_ love of this fight that they were having that he was able to finally find his own love for the fighting competition. And for that, he just couldn't help but feel happy. From now on, he would always remember to enjoy the _thrill_ and appreciate it whenever he fought. He'd still hate the killings and the unnecessary violence, but he would would always _love_ the competition. And now _that_ would be what would drive him from now on.

"Hey dad? What do you say we finish this up with one last charge? We might as well, seeing as we're getting close to the end anyway. It'll end sooner or later anyway, why not end it in a grand style?" suggested Gohan. "Yeah, sure. In fact that's exactly how _I_ was thinking." agreed Goku with a competitive smirk "Okay, one last rush with everything we've got in one shot. Winner takes all." Gohan supplied him with the rules. "Okay, great. Let's do it!" said Goku, eagerly agreeing like a kid in a candy store. 'Some things just never change with you dad.' thought Gohan to himself as he gave a mental chuckle.

And at that point, both Gohan and Goku cupped their hands to their sides and went to throw in their last reserves into charging up for their family's signature move, the Kamehameha. "Kaaaa... Meee..." started chanting Goku. "Haaaaaa... Meeeeee..." continued the chant Gohan. The familiar glowing blue orbs with the rays of light shooting through them formed in their hands. It was fitting somehow that they end it like this, father and son using the same technique that was the heirloom of their family, their family's signature. But unlike usual, unlike the usual doubled size orbs that the two of them were usually capable of, these balls were only at the size of their hands. "HAAAAAAAA!" they both did the final chant at the same time and launched their attacks at the same time simultaniously. But unlike the usual size of the Kamehameha that the two of them were accustomed to doing, these waves were only at the usual size for the original Kamehameha. This was due to the fact that even though they were still Super Saiyans 2's, with their reserves down to the bottom as they were, they only had enough to afford for the barest minimum for the original Kamehameha.

The two waves then collided in the middle of the ring and their was a great flash that occured as the two attacks cancelled each other out and immediately exploded upon contact, so low was their power. But just as soon as the bright flash had subsided, did the two figures of Gohan and Goku were seen flying straight at each other with fists cocked back, shooting speedily as blurs, heading for a final dramatic showdown. They were putting the very last ounces of their reserves into these final blows, it was do or die time for them both. Then, in a surprising turn, they both connected at the same time, each connecting a punch straight to the cheek of the other in a mirror connection. They then both went shooting away with their hair going back to their original natural black color, their bodies sent spinning around backwards like corkscrews. Until they each hit with their backs to the back of the walls on the opposite ends of the stadium arena and creating craters as they hit. And then they slumped down into the ground outside the ring, the rubble from their impact falling down on top of them.

The reason for these heavy hits was because that when they hit each other they'd used all of their remaining power to hit while making no allowance for defense. Though even though their power was depleted and weak being the last reserve, but without any defenses they were left with no opposition which meant that their powers were still significant enough even without full power to create great damage thanks according to normal physics. Which is why they were able to knock each other out and send them out flying with that much damage.

"Holy Mackerel! It seems that we have a double ring out and KO!? In that case I'll start the count. 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... and 8... 9... and 10! Ladies and gentlemen we have a double KO finish at the over two hour finish mark! But due to this being the finals and the championship, we cannot declare a draw. There _must_ be a winner. Therefore I believe it is the rules that in these rare cases that whoever gets up first to standing on two legs and declares himself the champion will be the winner!" declared the announcer. At that point both Gohan and Goku started to stir back up, each regaining consciousness.

Both Gohan and Goku were both just starting to regain consciousness when they'd heard the announcer explain the rules about how they would win. And so with super human determination they each began to simultaniously battle to see who would get up first.

First they put their hands to the ground, using their arms to push themselves up and get to an all fours position. Inch by precious inch they slowly and shakedly fought their way back. Each inch by passing moment was a painful struggling battle in itself as their bodies were racked with pain and filled to the brim from the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes with exhaustion. Finally they managed to get one knee, then they got to one foot up. Both were down to absolute zero and still with will alone they were pushing through for more. Then they got to both feet, all they needed now was to lift off their hands off the ground and stand on their own and that would be _IT_. The air was tense as they audience waited with held breaths as they anticipated for whoever was to win this thing. And that went for both the regular audience in the crowds, and for friends of the individuals and even Z-Fighters alike. They _ALL_ waited with held breaths that they didn't even know about.

Finally, GOHAN was the one to finally stand up on his own two feet first, if shakily so. He was the one to reach down further first and find that reserve of spirit to get to his feet first. Goku himself was still midway to standing fully erect, his hands having just left the ground and his knees still buckled in a crouched position. And now he stood frozen as he watched his son with a shocked expression. Now people of all kinds, the whole world in fact, waited to see if he could speak the words to officially declare himself champion. The announcer guy quickly leaned in with his microphone to record the words. Gohan just gave a cheeky smile as he spoke. "I... am... the... Cham... pi.. o..." but before he could finish his last syllable, he collapsed and fell through on his back, exhaustion claiming him as he fell unconscious before he'd even fallen all the way down. A chorus of "OOhs!" echoed throughout the stadium as people couldn't believe at this stunning and anti-cimactic turnaround.

"OOh! And it looks like that it is indeed a case of father just like son. As just like his father before him years ago, young Gohan has just fallen through to exhaustion at the last possible moment after being just a mere syllable away from declaring himself the champion and winning the title at the youngest age on his very first try!" said the announcer, as he was again feeling the sense of _deja_ _vu_ as it was as if he was seeing the ghost of Goku through from the past, standing and falling down in mirror effect on top of the fallen Gohan, signifying the repeat of history.

But then the announcer's attention turned back to Goku who was now shakily struggling to trying to get to a vertical basis. His face etched in concentration and his teeth clenched as he struggled desperately to make the most of this unexpected opportunity. "Hold on ladies and gentlemen, it looks like Goku himself is now trying to get up. But will he succeed where his son failed?" demanded the announcer as he ran over to stick the mike in Goku's face to see what _he_ had to say. Goku had just managed to get to a vertical basis and he was just about to speak the necessary words to make himself the champion again, but then he stopped. He looked at the fallen form of his son, and he couldn't help but smile, a proud smile that showed just how proud he was about his son's following in his footsteps, even though unintended. And that smile turned to a chuckle. "Heheheh... That's my boy..." uttered Goku, shortly before falling down flat on his face.

"Oh! What a way to go! As Goku himself too falls down in repeat of history!" declared the announcer. People just couldn't believe in this double in stereo finish. Some found it dissatisfying, others found it a little jovial at the irony of it and some still were even outraged by it. There was outrage and confusion all over the place as people just didn't know what to make of it.

The announcer was trying to calm everyone down until he heard someone whistling at him. He turned and found Goku, lying down on the ground front first with his head held up showing his face as he tried to get his attention. The announcer quickly rushed over and lowered down to listen to him.. "Psssst... Hey, I can't get up. My body is so exhausted I can't even move. Could you get over a stretcher for me? And can you get one for Gohan there too? I think we're pretty much both over for now. I think neither one of us will get up anytime soon." suggested Goku. "Sure thing, anything for you Champ." kindly whispered the announcer. "Thanks." whispered back Goku, thanking the man. The announcer then gestured for the stretchers to come in and take them away.

"Ladies and gentlemen, due to the fact that both contestants appear to be injured and cannot get up under their own power. Although this is unconventional for a championship match, but due to the unique circumstances of this particular situation of this match we will therefore have no choice but to declare a draw and cart these two away pending and official decision regarding the title." declared the announcer guy. As then both Goku and Gohan were shortly thereafter taken away by stretchers.

Meanwhile, baby Goten and baby Trunks were clapping and giggling like crazy. They had been laughing and clapping all fight long, enjoying every minute of it. They didn't quite know what they had been watching, they only knew that they thought it was _fun_. Both Bulma and Chi-Chi, who had been too wrapped up in cheering and heckling during the match, bit now they now noticed their babies' delight. They both inwardly groaned as they hoped that this wouldn't be a sign of things to come. They already had _ENOUGH_ warriors in the family, they didn't need more. But then again, they were only just babies, I mean they _couldn't_ remember this later on and for the rest of their lives _right_?

Meanwhile, a little later on in the infirmary, Goku woke up in a hospital bed with his first sight being greeted by Dende as well as all his other friends hanging over him. "Dende!? What are you doing here?" asked Goku as he got back up. "I came as soon as I could to heal you after I saw what you two ended up doing to one another. I healed you as best I could. I healed up almost all of your injuries but I couldn't heal up your _entire_ energy so I would suggest not fighting anymore for today." prescibed Dende, like a family doctor. Although he wouldn't mention the fact that as far as his energy was concerned he _could_ have healed him all the way but he only just decided not to. Not wanting to run the risk of them going to go at it again right off the bat after getting healed. Those two were the sort who _would_ do that. "Will do!" enthusiastically replied Goku. "Gohan is over there. I've already healed him so there's no problem." finished Dende.

Goku made his way over to his son. "Hey? You okay?" asked Goku. Gohan was looking a little brooding as he hung his head low. Goku seemed to know what was bothering him. They had gotten into it pretty bad during the match and emotions had gone out and issues had been revealed between the two. "Yeah, I'm fine." replied Gohan as he looked up to his father with a smile. Gohan knew what Goku was asking about and had responded in kind. This was just his way of saying, 'Yeah, I was pretty mad. But now I'm over it. So let's just get on with our lives now.' Although it was very subtle, Goku got the message. Gohan had aired out his feelings that he had been holding inside and now that he had aired them he felt better about it. Goku then just hugged his son. Forgive and forget, and now they were a loving family.

Meanwhile outside, the announcer guy was just receiving word through his earpiece about his contestants condition. "Hey Ladies and gentlemen! I'm happy to inform you that Goku and Gohan have recovered rapidly and are ready to come out. So without further adieu let's bring 'em out here." gestured the announcer as then Goku and Gohan made their way out to the ring. Their clothes were still looking beat up, but their injuries were gone.

"Now, over the passed several minutes, myself and the judges have been deliberating over the situation about regarding the title and this is what we've come up with. Since both participants couldn't get up under their own power to declare that they were the champion, we have no choice but to officially rule the bout a draw. But since Goku _was_ the recognized as the defending champion at the time, the rules state that you must defeat the champion in order to win the championship. Therefore the rules lie in favor of the champion in event of a tie and therefore we must award the title to Goku. But however... however in the event of the flimsyness of this ruling, a rematch for the title can be invoked and a match can be set up at a later date. Provided of course that if it is so desired and challenged by the challenger and champion accepts the terms." declared the announcer guy. Many people groaned at this and many, many more murmured about themselves in the audience at the results of this ruling.

"Excuse me? But can I have a say in this?" asked Goku with his hand raised and a cheery attitude. "Well it is unorthodox, but you are the champion and then again this whole situation as a _whole_ is unorthodox so fire away!" replied the announcer assuredly. "I want to forfeit my claim to the title, and any chance at a rematch." declared Goku. This surprised everyone to say the least and sent shockwaves throughout the stadium. "B-b-b-but, do you realize what this means!?" asked a shocked and stuttering announcer. Of everything Goku could've said, this was the least likely that people were expecting from him. Even Gohan who was right next to him had a shocked expression. "Yes, I know. But I want Gohan to be awarded the title and acknowledged as the official winner of the tournament." declared Goku, smiling down at his son. This shocked Gohan even more.

"Bu-but dad why? I couldn't beat you here today. You're the champion, you deserve to be..." said Gohan as he lowered his head down in guilt and almost shame. At that, Goku knelt down to one knee and placed his hands on his son's shoulders much like he did when he put his faith in him at the Cell Games. "Listen son, could you answer me this question? How much of your training did you _really_ managed to do?" asked Goku. Gohan then leveled up his head and looked at his father straight in the eye. "I only got around to about half of it that I had planned to. But I couldn't really get round to the heavy physical stuff because of having to take care of Goten this year. I could only get round to concentrating on technigues and only a little bit of control over my form before time was up. But the same could b said for you. You had to take your time taking care of Goten too so you had to lose half of your training too." answered Gohan. "Well I don't know about that, but my training was full and complete by the time _I_ got done. You see, even with only half the training you were still just as good as me or even maybe a little better." said Goku with full confidence. Gohan was wide eyed at what his father was telling.

"But I was only able to tie with you even still." countered Gohan. "Perhaps, but your still only just a kid and your already just as good as me. You have all that much time more to get better than me while I only have so much more limited time. You're so talented that way. That's why I know that if a rematch existed between the two of us that I would lose. You'd beat me because with your talent you would outstrip me and I would lose for sure next time." admitted Goku. Gohan couldn't believe what his father was saying. He was admitting his own weakness and _his_ own strength in comparison? "But dad, that still doesn't make me the champion here today." replied Gohan, once again hanging his head in shame. "But look at what you've done here today alone. You came in as number 1 in both tournaments and from first to last you've had the most matches and all the hardest fights out of anyone, including me. If that doesn't make you the champion here today, then I don't know what does." replied Goku, still full of confidence in his son. Gohan lifted his head up. "Dad..." simply responded Gohan, not being able to come up with words to express his feelings. "That and besides, it's your birthday tomorrow and I don't have a gift for you. So I guess that what better gift to give than the Championship of the World." declared Goku, giving a toothy, goofy grin to his son. At that Gohan got all choked up and then proceeded to hug his father. People in the audience couldn't help but go a chorus of 'awwwws' at the sight after hearing the conversation between the two. "Well if that's your final decision, then I guess we have no choice but to ablige." simply stated the announcer guy with a smirk on his face as he watched.

Shortly thereafter, the announcer was about to present the new Championship belt to Gohan when a shout rang out. "WAIT!" shouted out a very familiar voice. It was Mr. Satan as he was helped along by his daughter while carying his own champion's fighting belt in his hands. They came over to the father and son duo and Mr. Satan looked to be sniffling as if he'd seemed to have been crying over something. Videl then leaned in towards them. "I explained _everything_ to him. And now I think he wants to present you with something." explained Videl, who looked to have a cheery attitude about it. And then, Mr. Satan made to present his fighting belt to Gohan. "You're the _real_ hero who defeated Cell. You guys are the _real_ strongest in the world. I don't deserve to wear this." said Mr. Satan, looking like this was being _really_, _really_ _hard_ for him to do, but that he was doing it anyway. Gohan looked to Videl and she smiled and nodded at him. This was surely her doing at convincing her father to do this. But Gohan just motioned to refuse to have the belt and shook his head. "No, I don't deserve it either. That's for my father. He's been the real world's champion all along and he should be again. He's also the _real_ hero who was at the Cell Games and this is for that." declared Gohan.

The looks then turned to Goku as Mr. Satan presented the belt to him now as even he _too_ knew what a real world champion Goku was. Goku just stared back and forth, not knowing what to do. Wanting to be humble, but not wanting to refuse a gift that so many felt he deserved. Goku then reluctantly gave in and reached for the belt. "I don't know about this. But if I must, then I'll accept." simply said Goku, humble as ever as he reluctantly took the belt in one hand. "I'm s-sorry for what I did. I'm a real scumbag for what I did. I truly didn't deserve that belt." said Mr. Satan, looking like he had just parted with his best friend. "Admitting your mistake is the first step towards making amends. You might have had to endure some humility today, but there's still a lot for you to do before you regain peoples trust. But with a little help from your friends and a lot of hard work, you can still regain that. Because no mater what you showed that you're still a good man and a strong martial artist. I know that you can do it." said Goku, giving him a speech but that held no less of confidence he'd showed his son. At seeing his forgiveness and that indeed all was not lost, Mr. Satan looked to his daughter who semed, proud and just as ready to belive in him. he vowed right them and there to make it up for his daughter, her new friends, and especially Goku, that he wouldn't let them down with this second chance. Tears of joy weld in his eyes and the people applauded at the showing of humility and mercy. They would be watching to see if it would indeed be true if he would or could make it up to them.

And with the humbled ex-champion dealt with. Gohan and Goku put on their newly acquired championship belt around their waists. _(A/N: Gohan's being the new belt created just for the tournament. It looks exactly like the WWF World Title Belt from the mid 1990's. It's all the same except the wording which reads _World Tournament Champion_. Always loved that belt, thought it was the coolest and most beautiful belt ever made so here I used it for this. BTW, Goku's is just like the one Hercule always wears so no change there.)_ They then both promptly transformed to their subdued Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan forms respectively for the enjoyment of the crowd. "Aaaaaannnnnndddd there you have it ladies and gentlemen! Looks like we have two very deserving world champions here today. The World Martial Arts Tournament Champion and the World Heavyweight Fighting Champion. Looks like there truly are no losers here today." announced the announcer guy, a tear in his eye. They then struck a pose that would be forever considered iconic and enshrined by statues made of them forever on. They stood as Goku stood tall and put his hand on Gohan's shoulder and looked down at his son as Gohan looked at the camera intensily. It was a great photo-op moment as they both posed for posterity with the cameras with their championships. They then celebrated with the crowds as tons of confetti and wild cheering was heard from all as they soaked in their glory with the setting of the sun painting the sky red in a beautiful picture moment. It was truly a glorious and special moment. The perfect way to finish what would be called the greatest tournament ever.

* * *

**Author's Final Thoughts:**** Well there you have it, the most epic ending I could conceive of. Father and son tackling each other in an epic match and in the end neither one could truly outdo the other. Their are truly equal in the eyes of all time. I hope you enjoyed this mega event. In my mind I like ties at the end of things as it shows us two people who didn't lose, and I see them as two winners, which is infinitely better than just one and one loser. At least that's what I subscribe to. I know most people aren't like that and there are probably some of you reading this who think that it was robbed at the end. But trust me this is always how it was supposed to work out in my eyes and I suggest you look at it as two winners and there aren't any true losers here.**

**As for Hercule, while I always hated his boastfulness and the misguided belief by the people that he was the world's strongest. Other then that I always found him to be at least good man under horrible circumstances. I mean if **_**you**_** were plotted down onto The Cell Games like that as a normal human with no idea what was really going on and how would you react? I always thought he was a bit more of a bumbler and I always enjoyed his hilarious antics. But I found him to be a good man who would honestly try to fight for good and could become a truly honorable man if given the opportunity. So I'm just going to give him that opportunity. With doing away with the fake facade the legions of blindingly ignorant fans and I'll make him an honorable man once again.**

**And so Gohan is now World Champion after his first tournament and therefore the youngest in history and surpassing almost all of Goku's records in one go. Not bad huh? I think he deserves it.**

**This was the longest chapter up to date and by far the longest and biggest part of my story. I hope it was worth it for the greatest tournament and the greatest battle I could ever imagine. I hope you enjoyed this mega epic as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Although this is the last part of the main story, there's still one more part left in the sidestories, and a crossover with Naruto coming up left over for you to hold yourselves over with. But I suggest that you read that as well as my **_**entire**_** to completely understand it. But I hope you've enjoyed my World Tournament Saga, as well as the rest of my DBZ: AP storylines up to date.**

**After 6 to 7 years of writing, it was very much through a labor of love that I crafted this story for you. I strove long and hard, and agonized over every detail in order to craft this story together. I don't mind admitting though, that in the back of my mind, I always hoped or imagined, that somebody would go "You are a DBZ writing GOD" in their review. For some reason I always wished for that. And that if someone would find it in their hearts to do that for me, I would feel that all the years of labor I made to craft this story, it would be _worth it_! Or at least, I would hope that you guys liked it. Well that's it, see you later.**

**P.S. As a last note I'd like to acknowledge my good friend Lucas Colbert (AKA LC) who's helped me write this stupendous story over many years. It doesn't matter if anyone else **_**doesn't**_** know who you are. **_**I**_** know who you are and **_**you**_** know who you are, and I couldn't have gotten this far this quickly thanks to him. So if you're reading this, thank you.**


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